Stop illegal downloads over your Wi-Fi Hotspot

Illegal file sharing is downloading or forwarding a copyrighted file. The organization that protects copyrighted products of the music and film industry is the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

File sharing requires specific software installed on a computer: programs such as Limewire are popular with file sharers. File sharing is very easy to identify however and the RIAA is constantly initiating lawsuits against file sharers. The RIAA does not know the name of the person making illegal downloads, but does know the IP address and the name of the Internet service provider. The RIAA has to sue the Internet service provider in order to get the name of the person responsible for the Internet account.

Illegal downloads present a big problem for hotels who provide a Wi-Fi Hotspot Internet service for guests. The RIAA can discover the name of the hotel however it is not possible to identify which guest downloaded copyrighted material.

The current procedure is that the RIAA notifies the Internet service provider that a specific IP address has been identified as a pirate. Before the RIAA has chance to sue the service provide to get the name of the customer, the service provider will send a letter to the customer stating that the service will be disconnected due to illegal downloads.

Hotels that receive the Internet providers disconnection letter (and there are many) have no option but to cut the Wi-Fi hotspot service for guests to stop illegal downloads, and then request that the service is not disconnected, assuring the service provider that no further illegal downloads will be made.

There is a very simple solution that the hotel can install which will block illegal file sharing while continuing to provide a Wi-Fi Hotspot service for guests. This product is a low cost gateway that filters all traffic through a firewall, and then blocks Internet data that is identified as file sharing.

Unfortunately it is not possible to block only illegal file sharing, it is necessary to block any type of file sharing, legal or illegal. The gateway is installed between the wireless access points and the Internet modem. When activated, the file sharing filter will block all Internet data packets that are identified as part of a file sharing communications. The gateway is a very low cost method of eliminating what might be a very expensive headache.