Controversial anti-piracy firm Rightscorp have come up with a new audacious plan that includes hijacking the user's browser until they pay a copyright fine.
Rightscorp wants to enlist ISPs in the fight against (and monetization of) piracy by delivering infringement and settlement notices directly to the user's browser.
Rightscorp's business model relies on identifying potential copyright infringers, and then asking them to pay a settlement "fine" to make the matter go away.
Settlement notices are currently delivered via email, which are often ignored by users. But with Rightscorp's new "Scalable Copyright" technology, there will be severe consequences if the user choose to continue ignoring the settlement notices. After a set number of notices has been viewed, the Scalable Copyright system will then lock up the user's browser and won't let them continue past the settlement payment screen until they pay up.
The Scalable Copyright system requires cooperation with ISPs, and Rightscorp is confident that some ISPs will find the system useful in minimizing their third party liability when it comes to copyright infringement.
"We provide the data at no charge to the ISPs. With Scalable Copyright, ISPs will be able to greatly reduce their third-party liability and the music and home video industries will be able to return to growth along with the internet advertising and broadband subscriber industries," says Rightscorp.
But many ISPs may also baulk at the idea of hijacking their paying customer's browser, with the tactic too similar to the ones deployed by sketchy ransomware operators for comfort.
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