The entertainment industry has made some ridiculous and presumptuous attempts to combat online piracy over the years and this latest move definitely falls into both of those categories. Numerous industry groups have been going after companies that offer domain name services on the grounds that they don’t do enough to deter copyright infringement and are demanding that these companies take down “pirate” domain names.
In recent years copyright holders have demanded stricter anti-piracy measures from ISPs, search engines, advertising networks and payment processors, with varying results. Continuing this trend various entertainment industry groups are now going after companies that offer domain name services. The MPAA, for example, has joined the domain name system oversight body ICANN and is pushing for policy changes from the inside. A few days ago the RIAA added more pressure. The music group sent a letter to ICANN on behalf of several industry players asking for tougher measures against pirate domains. The RIAA’s senior vice president Victoria Sheckler wants the Internet to be a safe place for all, where music creation and distribution can thrive. “… we expect all in the internet ecosystem to take responsible measures to deter copyright infringement to help meet this goal,” she notes.