BBC News - Big Irish crackdown on net piracy

The Irish Republic has begun a piracy crackdown which could see customers cut off from the net for a year. The country's biggest net firm Eircom has begun sending letters to those identified as illegal file-sharers. It is the first nation to implement such a system. France is also planning to introduce a similar policy. UK watchdog Ofcom is due to publish its code of conduct for how UK ISPs should deal with net pirates later this week.
It will look specifically for people who are sharing, rather than just downloading, content illegally. Initially they will be sent a letter and a follow-up phone call from a new unit set up by Eircom to deal with the issue. They may also get a pop-up warning on their screen. If they are identified a third time they will have their service withdrawn for a week and, if a fourth infringement occurs, will be cut off for a year.
From all the various methods of trying to crack down on piracy I think this one has got it pretty right. They give you several chances to stop and only cut you off as a last resort. Maybe cutting you off is a bit strong, why not just give you dialup speeds so you can at least still carry out online banking, emails etc.