(Alexandria, Virginia) — Chairman Jim Martin, leader of the non-partisan, 7.2 million-strong 60 Plus Association, today released the following statement regarding the near one-year anniversary of the implementation of the Copyright Alert System:

“Senior citizens support internet safety and measures to stop the theft of intellectual property, which robs America of future prosperity, job creation and technological innovation. Though some may not connect the elderly population with the world of high-tech, this is short-sighted. Seniors are as connected as ever to their smart phones, high-speed internet, broadband, and dozens of other products and services available in our world of exploding technological innovation that enhance their health and quality of life.

“For these reasons, seniors are invested in measures to protect our economy and America’s leadership position in the world of high-tech, which includes support of the Copyright Alert System, (CAS).

“Under the Copyright Alert System, individuals pirating digital content, or inadvertently posting such content, receive up to 6 warnings from their internet provider to better educate consumers about illegal activity online and help lead them to legal alternatives.

“After nearly a year of operation, the results of the CAS have been extremely promising, with 1.3 million alerts sent to more than 720,000 customer user accounts. The vast majority of those alerts were to educate users of their infringement of intellectual property, with only 3% reaching the 6th alert.

“On behalf of our more than 7.2 million senior supporters, 60 Plus applauds the promise of the CAS in stopping the theft of intellectual property that does so much harm to our economy, both in the short and long term. We look forward to further innovations to protect the hard-earned product of creators and innovators, which benefits us all.”

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