Deal to combat piracy in UK with 'alerts' is imminent

BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media will send "educational" letters to customers believed to be downloading illegally.

But a document seen by the BBC shows that rights holders are set to make do with considerably weaker measures than originally asked for. The first letters -- known as "alerts" -- are expected to be sent out in 2015.

The deal has been struck with the BPI, which represents the British music industry, and the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which covers film.

The bodies had originally suggested the letters should tell repeat infringers about possible punitive measures. They also wanted access to a database of known illegal downloaders, opening the possibility of further legal action against individuals. A maximum of four alerts -- by either email or physical letter - can be sent to an individual customer account. Language will "escalate in severity" - but will not contain threats or talk of consequences for the accused users. After four alerts, no further action will be taken by the ISPs.