A new system launched to curb online piracy of intellectual property is meant to be educational, not punitive, says the organization behind it. But suspended Internet service or slowing service to a crawl sounds pretty punitive to critics of the Copyright Alert System (CAS).

The Center for Copyright Information (CCI)'s move has ignited yet another debate over the best way to protect the owners of creative property without inhibiting the free flow of information and entertainment. CCI has also angered freedom of information advocates for another reason -- it makes Internet Service Providers (ISP) the first line of enforcement of alleged copyright infringement.

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