U.K. Court Orders ISP to Block Alleged Piracy Site
By Damon Poeter - PC Mag
A British court on Thursday ordered U.K. Internet service provider BT to block access to members-only file-sharing site Newzbin 2—a victory for the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which brought the case against a website it accused of distributing pirated movies, but also a ruling that already has Internet freedom advocates up in arms.
"In my judgment it follows that BT has actual knowledge of other persons using its service to infringe copyright: it knows that the users and operators of Newzbin 2 infringe copyright on a large scale, and in particular infringe the copyrights of the studios in large numbers of their films and television programs," Justice Arnold stated in a high court ruling that can be read in full here.
The ruling marks the first time a U.K. ISP has been ordered to block access to such a site, according to the BBC.
The British ISP was ordered to block its users from accessing Newzbin 2 using CleanFeed, a website-blocking application that in the U.K. has been used by ISPs to block access to child pornography.
BT reportedly said it would not appeal the ruling. The ISP and the MPA were scheduled to return to court in October to solidify how the site-blocking would be carried out.
In a round-up of reactions to the ruling published by the Guardian Thursday, advocates for either side of the debate over piracy, censorship, and net neutrality were quick to point out the potential far-reaching impact of the high court decision.
While representatives of industry trade groups like British Phonographic Industry chief executive Geoff Taylor called the ruling "a clear signal that ISPs have a role to play in protecting their customers from rogue websites," opponents were troubled by the impact of the court's judgment.
"This is a terrible day for ordinary British Internet users," the Guardian quoted Pirate Party U.K. leader Loz Kaye as saying. "The judgment sets a worrying precedent for Internet censorship. This is the thin end of a very large wedge. It also leaves the coalition [government]'s Internet policy in disarray. It appears that our digital rights are to be determined by Hollywood, not parliament."
Added Peter Bradwell of the Open Rights Group: "Website blocking is pointless and dangerous. These judgments won't work to stop infringement or boost creative industries. And there are serious risks of legitimate content being blocked and service slowdown. If the goal is boosting creators' ability to make money from their work then we need to abandon these technologically naive measures, focus on genuine market reforms, and satisfy unmet consumer demand."
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