ThisisBigBrother.com - UK TV Forums - O2 porn pirates to receive warning letters

O2 customers who have illegally downloaded pornographic films made by Ben Dover Productions will soon receive warning letters from the studio.

The adult entertainment firm won a court order in March, forcing the network provider to hand over more than 9,000 IP addresses of users guilty of the offence.

Ben Dover's warning message has now received High Court approval, and will be sent out to users who uploaded its content onto filesharing websites first. Those who downloaded just one film will not be targeted, BBC News reports.

"In our first letter we seek to find out more information regarding evidence of an infringement of our copyright," said commercial director Julian Becker. "Depending on the response to our letters we will then decide our next action."

The warning letter explains to recipients how they can reach a settlement, giving them 28 days to respond. Ben Dover initially requested a 14-day cut-off, but the High Court found this unreasonable.

The judge also told the company it should not specify a compensatory sum of £700, as the penalty should be negotiated with each individual. Threats to "slow down or terminate" internet connections were also forbidden.

"We are pleased that the court has taken a robust approach and controlled the tone and content of the letter Golden Eye proposes to send to our customers," said O2 in a statement.

"We are also pleased that the judge acknowledged the unique position we are in, and agreed that we have approached this issue in a reasonable way."

The adult entertainment industry is not the only sector to have declared war on internet piracy. Earlier today, Sky Broadband blocked file-sharing website The Pirate Bay in the UK following a court victory by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and its partners.

DS

Come on then, who's guilty? :suspect: