ISPs In Britain Ordered To Disclose Identities

In the United Kingdom, the High Court has ordered 10 ISPs to disclose the identities of 150 individuals suspected of trading copyrighted software. The Business Software Alliance estimates that one-quarter of all software used in the United Kingdom is illicit. The court ruling came after a group called the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) petitioned the court to order the disclosures, noting that software pirates hide behind fake names and bogus e-mail addresses and are notoriously difficult to track down. FAST said that after it has obtained the identities of those suspected of illegally trading software, it will consult with law enforcement authorities. John Lovelock, an official at FAST, said the group intends to make an example of software pirates, and the group’s legal counsel said the current court action is “only the first wave of an ongoing strategy.”

BBC, 30 January 2006