Members of Britain's film-making elite are calling on the government urge ISPs to help stop movies being illegally traded online, warning some 800,000 jobs are at risk during the downturn. The group said in a letter to The Times:

"We are very concerned that the successes of the creative industries in the UK are being undermined by the illegal online file-sharing of film and TV content … In relation to illegal downloads of TV programmes, the UK is the world leader, with up to 25 percent of all online TV piracy taking place in the UK. Popular shows are downloaded illegally hundreds of thousands of times per episode. We are asking the government to show its support by ensuring that internet service providers play their part in tackling this huge problem."

It continues "Internet service providers have the ability to change the behaviour of those customers who illegally distribute content online. They have the power to make significant change and to prevent their infrastructure from being used on a wholesale scale for illegal activity. If they are not prepared to act responsibly, they should be compelled to do so."

The writers apparently have backing of the British Film Institute, Bafta and PACT who didn't sign up to this summer's agreement for ISPs to warn abusive downloaders.

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