The Recording Industry Association of America and its international cousins are cheering this morning after the British government unveiled a proposal that would Internet service providers to take explicit steps towards curbing illegal downloading or they face legal sanctions.
The BBC says government officials would begin consulting the matter in the spring, and legislation could be implemented as early as April 2009.
"ISPs are in a unique position to make a difference and in doing so to reverse a culture of creation-without-reward that has proved so damaging to the whole music community over the last few years," said John Kennedy, head of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
However, the Internet Service Provider's Association said that creating and implementing such legislation would be difficult. The ISPA said the industry was already working on self-regulation, which the government also believed to be the preferred route. However, Andy Burnham, the UK's culture secretary, said the government stance had become more urgent: "Let me make it absolutely clear: this is a change of tone from the government," he said.
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