An Examination of the Copyright Alert System as a Method of Stemming Online Copyright Infringement

Abstract

With the rise of BitTorrent and other filesharing services, content producers and distributors have struggled to protect copyrighted material from being shared online without permission. This paper will examine the technological and legal methods that American industry groups and broadband ISPs are using to try to protect copyrighted content, with particular attention paid to the development and implementation of the Copyright Alert System. It will include a brief history of industry responses to online piracy, and will conclude by judging the extent to which current copyright law has succeeded in preventing unauthorized online content distribution.

Note: This paper is endorsed by Prof. Blake Reid, the Director of the Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law and Policy Clinic at the University of Colorado Law School.

Keywords: Copyright Alert System, BitTorrent, copyright infringement