UK label association BPI has reached an agreement with ISPs on measures designed to reduce unauthorized file sharing.  But while stricter legislation may follow, so far, the deal lacks the teeth that some had hoped for.

On behalf of hundreds of record companies, The BPI has signed a memo with the UK’s six largest ISPs. The Motion Pictures Association of America also signed on. The deal places joint commitments to continue educational programs and the ISPs will be required to work towards a “significant reduction” in files sharing.  In the first year, informative letters will be sent by participating ISPs to accounts identified by The BPI as being used illegally. Beyond that, "the signatories will work together to identify effective mechanisms to deal with repeat offenders."

Initial measures on the table provide that any internet account that is used to share copyrighted material without permission is subject to surveillance and potential throttling of their account, regardless of whether the person sharing the files is the account holder.

That means that if a child shares music and the ISP's warnings are ignored, her parents' surfing habits will be put under surveillance and their connection speed limited, as The Times points out, making large files especially hard to download. The limitations would have harsh ramifications, especially if those parents rely on connectivity to do their jobs.

ISPs who agreed to the government's Memorandum of Understanding with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) include Virgin Media, Sky, Carphone Warehouse, BT, Orange and Tiscali. All parties agreed to start developing ways to implement traffic management measures and identify certain content on their networks so that it can be more easily tracked.

Read more on this story and the debate around it HERE