“BT, Virgin Media, BSkyB and TalkTalk are being asked by music and film companies to sign up to a voluntary code for policing illegal downloading. Negotiations have been underway for some months with the BPI, which represents the major labels including Warner, Sony and Universal, and the British Video Association, whose members include the BBC and Hollywood studios. Measures could include throttling internet connections to slow them down, blocking users from particular sites, disconnecting offenders from broadband for a limited period, and ultimately prosecution. In order to implement these measures, broadband companies would need to keep a list of those customers.”
