Online Pirates: Will Severing Their Connection Stop File-Sharing?

For years, the music, film and TV industries have bemoaned file-sharing citing it as the reason they are losing millions each to piracy. In the UK alone, they have estimated that file-sharing sites, like the notorious Pirate Bay, are responsible for losses in the tens of millions. Today however, the UK government has announced new measures to combat 'hardcore copyright pirates'.

The new guidelines states that such downloaders will have their Internet connection severed if they illegally download films and music from the Internet, but do the government really expect this to make a difference?

The government has tried such schemes before with little success. They have ranged from a "three strikes" law for downloaders to asking Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to take stronger action and, if necessary, cutting off pirates' internet connections.

Unsurprisingly, ISPs have constantly shied away from this idea, citing a loss of business if they were to start 'policing' what people do on the Internet.

It's a valid point. Who, afterall, wants to have their online activities monitored and then reported back to the government? No-one. That's what makes the new measures all the more bizarre.

The new amendment to the Digital Britain report would see regulator Ofcom given greater powers to tackle online pirates. Headed by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, the Digital Britain report originally gave Ofcom till 2012 to come up with a decent strategy to deter and catch file-sharing pirates, but this was deemed to be simply too long.

Up until now, their only discernible response has been to send warning letters to those making illegal downloads which, in many cases, were completely ignored due to the legal quagmire that surrounds file-sharing.

There are more controversial strategies, such as Ofcom's decision to release the identities of serial offenders therefore making it easier for music and film companies to sue them. Unsurprisingly, this was met with public anger and the formation of a political Pirate party in the UK.

No matter what measures are implemented by the government, public opinion is always going to be with the pirates especially with the statistic that one in 12 people illegally download media files themselves. Many have cited a 'Robin Hood' mentality about their actions, they see it as sticking it to a big multinational company who are often seen as 'rolling in money'.

However, what many fail to realise is that they could soon lose the very thing they crave.

Many TV and film companies have already said that the losses they are suffering from piracy could see certain TV shows and films being cancelled. In the US, shows that don't get decent viewing figures are often cancelled without warning. As such, many shows that have found cult followings through downloads are often cancelled as no-one is watching them on TV or buying the DVDs.

It's the same with films - have you recently enjoyed a film by downloading it? Well, if you want a sequel it might not be as likely with many blockbusters not making enough money at the box office to warrant it.

Despite this, the main lure is Internet speed. With many companies offering download speeds of over 10 megabytes a second, the option is there for many consumers to download a movie in an hour or less. It is a much more tempting option, considering the cost of cinema tickets and DVDs as well as the current economic climate.

The government's plan to slow down or completely cut off the internet connection of repeat offenders may look good on paper, but in a world of WiFi, blue-tooth and USB sticks, stopping file-sharing is going to take a lot more than simply unplugging someones Internet.