Tuesday, Jun 26, 2012    Text size: 

LONDON — ISPs in the U.K. will start sending piracy warnings to customers in early 2014, according to newly published rules.

The warnings are part of the Digital Economy Act (DEA), which calls on ISPs to warn users about alleged illegal file sharing and place repeat violators on a Copyright Infringement List (CIL).

The DEA only applies to ISPs with more than 400,000 subscribers and applies a three-strikes rule.

Copyright holders have 10 days to gather evidence against offenders. Once notified, the ISPs have 10 days to respond to finger offending subscribers and send them a warning.

The warnings will come in three varieties: the first two will be sent via email or standard mail, the third through registered mail. The warnings "should be written in plain English and contain sufficient information to inform subscribers about their situation," Ofcom said.

Those who ignore three warnings within a 12-month period will be placed on the CIL.

"After obtaining a court order to obtain personal details, copyright owners will be able to take action against those included in the list," Ofcom said.