Lord Mandelson Sets Date for Blocking Filesharers’ Internet Connections

Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, warned internet users today that the days of consequence-free illegal filesharing are over as he unveiled the government’s plan for cracking down on online piracy. Mandelson, speaking at the government’s digital creative industries conference, C&binet, confirmed that the internet connections of persistent offenders could be blocked – but only as a last resort — from the summer of 2011. He added that a legislate and enforce strategy was the only way to protect the intellectual property rights of content producers. The strategy, which will be officially set out in the government’s digital economy bill in late November, will involve a staged process of warning notifications with internet suspension as a last resort