Warning letters said to cut online piracy

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand, July 23 (UPI) -- Online piracy rates in New Zealand have been cut in half since the introduction of a controversial "three strikes" rule, its supports say.

The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand said 2,766 infringement letters had been sent out under the rule, which allows fines of up to $12,000 for illegal downloaders caught three times, the BBC reported Monday.

RIANZ said its data suggested illegal views of Top 200 movies dropped from 110,000 to 50,000 in the month after the rule went into effect.

However, the association said, four out of every 10 Internet users in the country still accessed pirated material.

Because of this, RIANZ said, it wants to increase the number of infringement notices sent out 5,000 per month.

RIANZ has asked that the fee charged to it by Internet service providers for sending out infringement notices be reduced from $20 to $1.50 each, but ISPs are arguing the cost should, in fact, be higher.

The country's Economic Development Ministry is reviewing the fees, the BBC reported.