Cable operator Comcast is developing a new approach to combating piracy that would convert illegal downloads to legal transaction opportunities. The approach would be an alternative to the Copyright Alert System, or “six strikes” voluntary initiative, currently supported by leading programmers, distributors and studios affiliated with the MPAA. Comcast is pitching its plans to film and television executives in hopes of getting major content companies and distributors on board.

“The owner of the nation’s largest cable operator has begun preliminary discussions with both film and TV studios and other leading Internet service providers about employing technology, according to sources, that would provide offending users with transactional opportunities to access legal versions of copyright-infringing videos as they’re being downloaded,” reports Variety.

“As sources described the new system, a consumer illegally downloading a film or movie from a peer-to-peer system would be quickly pushed a pop-up message with links to purchase or rent the same content, whether the title in question exists on the VOD library of a participating distributor’s own broadband network or on a third-party seller like Amazon.”

Leveraging piracy attempts as a platform to drive legal transactions is a new philosophy regarding copyright infringement. It may serve as a viable option for consumers who are not true pirates, but are faced with the challenge of identifying legitimate digital content options.

The Copyright Alert System issues warnings to infringers up to six times before the ISP will limit the subscriber’s bandwidth. CAS was launched in February and includes participants such as AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and studios affiliated with the MPAA. The Obama Administration has also been supportive of the system.

“While sources familiar with the new initiative emphasized that it is being seen as a complement to CAS and not a replacement, the very emergence of an alternative raises questions as to the viability of CAS,” notes Variety. “How the two systems would coexist is unclear.”

Comcast’s engineers have not formally begun work on the new project, but are in the planning stages with engineers at NBCUniversal.