Watchdog says it is
ok
Norway's telecoms regulator has decided it is OK for ISPs to hand over
the personal details of file sharers to the movie and music business.
So far
the identities of these file-sharers has been kept secret as privacy rules have
largely stopped copyright holders discovering real-life names behind IP
addresses. However Norway's Post and Telecommunications Regulator has
decided that if a court feels there is good enough reason, it can order the ISPs
to hand over any private details.
This means that the movie and film
industry can conduct its standard tactic of getting the name and address of the
fileshare and threatening to take them to court unless they pay up. Post and
Telecommunications Regulator director Willy Jensen said the decision would make
he Internet a civilised place where the rule of law triumphed over anarchy. He
said that cultural life on the web is important, so we can't allow a situation
where artists copyrights are broken.
However the ruling goes against the
views of the Norwegian Minister of Education who believes that the music
industry should embrace the Internet instead of fighting it. It will be
interesting to see if he will actually insist that the watchdog back down.