The Federation Against Software Theft and Investors in Software (FAST IiS) has given a cautious welcome to last week’s Digital Britain report (original news), which set out measures designed to inhibit illegal online P2P file sharing. However the anti-piracy group warned that the proposed measures may not go far enough.

FAST IiS's Chief Executive, John Lovelock, credited the intention to create a new Rights Agency that would bring together ISPs and content providers. But Lovelock warned that the agency would need to take account of software firms too and not just the music and film industry:


FAST IiS has also raised a serious objection to Action 13 of the Interim Report, specifically the bit where UK ISPs would be required to collect anonymised information on repeat infringers. This information would then be made available to rights-holders together with personal details on receipt of a court order:


There’s probably something to be said for trying to walk before you can run, though FAST IiS’s remarks are understandable given the lack of specifics presented in last week’s report. It remains unclear precisely what the new Rights Agency’s level of involvement will be. Questions also surround how the system will be able to identify fake (erroneous) IP’s from real ones without turning ISPs into an Internet police force.

Equally a lot of resentment has been directed towards the notion of effectively taxing every UK broadband user to help compensate rights holders for illegal downloading. Effectively requiring even innocent individuals to pay for the criminal mistakes of others doesn’t seem fair and could foster rather than inhibit online piracy.