WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Software makers Thursday asked Congress to make it easier to track down people who copy their products over the Internet, joining the entertainment industry in an effort to stiffen copyright protections.
The Business Software Alliance, a lobbying group whose members include Microsoft Corp. and Apple Computer Inc., said Internet service providers like America Online should be required to reveal the names of customers who may be distributing copyright software through "peer to peer" networks like Kazaa.
Internet service providers have argued that investigators should be required to file a lawsuit to get customer names, an extra legal step that they say protects customer privacy and cuts down on frivolous requests.
Several U.S. appeals courts have agreed with this view, and the Supreme Court has declined to review the matter.
The recording industry has filed more than 7,000 such suits over the past year in an attempt to discourage Internet song swapping, and movie studios have launched a legal campaign of their own.
Software companies, by contrast, have not yet aggressively pursued individuals who copy programs online.