The so-called “six strikes” copyright alert system (CAS) went live in the US earlier this year, but it has thus far failed to deter piracy. Comcast is now spearheading an effort to overhaul CAS and convert illegal downloads into paid ones.

Under the current six strikes model, which most major ISPs participate in, a user is sent increasingly annoying warnings each time an instance of copyright infringement is detected. After five or six warnings, the ISP is authorized to slow the connection for a period of time, or even shut it off temporarily. This has proven to be a fairly weak deterrent by Comcast’s own measures. Going too far the other way comes with its own problems.

A number of European countries have instituted three strikes laws that carry harsh penalties for people suspected of repeated infringement. France was an enthusiastic supporter of its version of three-strikes called Hadopi. Under this system, a user would receive two warnings, then after a third alleged incident, their internet access would be cut off.