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New laws such as the Digital Economy Bill in the UK will need to be enforced, and this will be done through anti-piracy tracking companies. The Hadopi legislation in France will be assisted by Trident Media Guard, but already those that are paid to watch over pirates are being watched themselves.

Back in February we reported that Trident Media Guard, the French anti-piracy outfit that was selected by the music and movie industries to assist in enforcing their rights under the new Hadopi legislation, was already being seen in action.

Although their activities with Hadopi will be limited to monitoring and gathering evidence against file-sharers, we saw them trying to smother a lone file-sharer with their P2P-spamming technology, for which they have submitted a patent. The screenshot below shows TMG ‘DDoSing’ the BitTorrent user in

The far-reaching demands of an anti-piracy group working on behalf of the movie industry have been rejected by a judge. Federazione Anti-Pirateria Audiovisiva wanted ISP Telecom Italia to take unprecedented action against file-sharing subscribers, but the court decided that the ISP couldn’t be held responsible for the actions of its customers.

After failing to bring online piracy under control by other methods, the music and movie industries have been increasingly turning to the courts to force ISPs into action against their own customers.

In Italy, movie anti-piracy group Fapav (Federazione Anti-Pirateria Audiovisiva) went to court in an attempt to compel Italy’s largest ISP, Telecom Italia, to take

An Italian minister has stirred up controversy by not only criticizing the efforts of the French to disconnect file-sharers from the Internet, but by also admitting he’s a pirate himself. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, a musician himself, believes the solution to online file-sharing lies in a compromise, where music is paid for by advertisers and sponsors.

“Introducing heavy penalties such as those in France to disconnect people from the Internet is wrong and does not work,” Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said recently as he openly criticized the French 3-strikes ’solution’ to illicit file-sharing. He says the answer lies with a more creative approach.

“A proposal I have made for some time without being heard is the creation of a great national site where people can legally download music for free,” says Maroni. He believes the cost of such a service could be met by advertisers and sponsors.

A keen musician himself with his band 51 District, Maroni says that he listens to music on his iPod

The European Parliament has approved the controversial Telecoms Package, which means that internet users can be disconnected for illegal file-sharing if their guilt can be proved.

The new laws were scheduled to be passed months ago but had been held up by attempts by some countries to enshrine internet access as a “human right” within the regulation. That would have impeded plans by the French and UK governments to sever illegal file-sharers’ internet connections.

Since European ministers reached a compromise this month, the law has been passed and national regulators have until May next year to implement the regulation.