The letters sent to Virgin customers

We're writing to you about downloading and sharing of copyrighted files on the internet. That's because we've received a report that copyrighted music has been shared using a computer linked to your Virgin Media internet account. Please allow us to explain.

As we're sure you'll know, many files that can be saved on your computer (like music and videos) are protected by copyright. While it may be okay to store them for personal use, it's unlawful to download or share them without the permission of the copyright owner – for example, the record company or film studio that released them. Otherwise it's a "copyright infringement", which can lead to legal action being taken against the person responsible.

It's one of the jobs of the BPI, which represents British record labels, to make sure that copyrighted music files aren't unlawfully shared over the internet. They wrote to let us know that they believe your internet connection is being used to share files.

We understand you may be concerned about this, and you might be unsure how it happened. One possible answer is that other people in your household have used your computer and/or Internet connection, and they might have shared these files with others by using unauthorised "peer-to-peer/P2P" filesharing networks like "BitTorrent" or "Limewire".

However, you need to make sure that these files aren't downloaded or shared from your Virgin Media internet connection in future – for example, making sure they're not being made available through the use of file sharing networks, and securing any wireless router that you have. We encourage all our customers to use appropriate security solutions to safeguard their computers whilst online, and therefore we recommend that you use PCGuard, our suite of security services.

This can also help to prevent the spread of computer viruses which are sometimes disguised as illegal music files. All this will help make sure that no further steps are taken against you.

We've included a summary of the BPI report below, we hope that this and the enclosed BPI letter helps explain how to prevent unauthorised downloading and filesharing and how to enjoy music safely online. If you'd like details of any further technical information supplied to us by the BPI or if there's anything else you'd like to know, just call our internet security team on 0845 454 1098. Please note we have not shared any of your account or personal information with the BPI as part of this communication.

Dear Virgin Media Customer
Enjoying Music On The Internet & Illegal Filesharing

We're writing to you about enjoying music on the internet and about illegal downloading and filesharing. It's an issue which affects you, so it's very important that you read this letter carefully.

We're exceptionally lucky in Britain to have a world-beating music-making community, with a strong and sophisticated fan base. But we can only keep it that way if we all work together to ensure that the musicians who create this great music are rewarded for doing so.

That's where copyright comes in — copyright applies just as much to online music as it does to physical CDs. That means that you can't upload or download files on your computer without the authorisation of the copyright owner. Legal download services such as iTunes and 7digital authorise
you to download music and make a few copies for your own personal use. But it's illegal to download from unauthorised peer-to-peer/P2P networks such as BitTorrent. It's also illegal to share music files with other people, unless you have specific permission from the copyright owner. Otherwise
musicians won't be paid and record labels won't be able to invest in the kind of new music that you might want to enjoy in the future.

That's why the BPI team carries out regular checks online. We have information that someone — and it may not be you — is using your Virgin Media internet account to access music illegally. However it happened, it is illegal. We therefore need you to take steps to stop it from happening again. The steps you can take are set out in the enclosed "What To Do Next" section. You should know that if you don't do this and the problem happens again, then you could face legal action.

We don't want you to face legal action or risk losing your internet service — we want you to enjoy music legally. The good news is that there is plenty of online music for you to download legally. Take a look at pro-music.org for a list — there are millions of tracks available of all types and genres.

If you'd like to discuss any concerns you have in relation to this letter, then please don't hesitate to get in touch. Our contact details are set out in the "What To Do Next" section. We're ready to help.