ISP: internet service provider or internet secret police?

摘要

Mark Weston of Matthew Arnold & Baldwin LLP looks at ISPs power under the DEA Nowadays, unless you live on Mars (and probably even there!) we all connect to the internet. And we all do so via internet service providers (ISPs). What power do ISPs have to restrict or cut off our access to the ever more important digital space? What power should they have? What powers do they want? The answers might surprise anyone who has not been following the continuing debate going on at a national and European level. Two recent developments have spurred that debate onwards; specifically about the role that ISPs should take with respect to responsibility for infringement of copyright on their networks. The Digital Economy Act 2010 (the Act) was passed by the outgoing Labour government, who wanted it on the statute books before the general election. Three specific provisions caused huge controversy, the first two being subject to further scrutiny from parliament: Mark Weston is a partner at Matthew Arnold and Baldwin LLP (www.mablaw.com) where he heads the commercial/IP/IT team. Mark's practice focuses primarily on non-contentious matters in all areas of commercial law, information technology law, intellectual property law and Internet and online commerce law.