Film Studios Force BT To Block Piracy Site

[randyandy]

Film studios in Hollywood have won a British High Court battle to force BT to cut internet access to people who try to access pirated films.

Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Disney Enterprises and other members of a US film association, brought the proceedings over a website called Newzbin2.

The site has around 700,000 members and while it does not host copyrighted content, it lists links where people can find films and TV programmes for free on the web.

The studios argued that BT should block Newzbin2 with the same system that stops access to sites hosting child sex abuse images.

They claimed the website was in "flagrant" breach of copyright on a "grand scale".

BT contested the studios' call for an injunction, arguing that if the court ordered it to block access to Newzbin2, "there would be nothing to stop countless other claimants coming forward demanding that BT block other websites alleged to contain unlawful material".

However, following the judge's ruling in favour the film giants, BT said it welcomed the outcome of what was a test case.

"This is a helpful judgment, which provides clarity on this complex issue," the company said.

"It clearly shows that rights holders need to prove their claims and convince a judge to make a court order.

"BT has consistently said that rights holders need to take this route."

The precise details of the order to block access will be known in October.

Meanwhile, digital defenders the Pirate Party described the ruling as "a disaster for ordinary UK Internet users".

"This could open the Internet censorship floodgates," they said, adding that there was no evidence so-called "web-locking" would reduce copyright infringement.




Find the order and use on tube sites?

[one eyed jack]

This proves that something could be done about it since day one but I fear its a little too late for all that now.

So BT have blocked one site. Whoopee! Doesnt make a difference to all the outlets already avialble out there in the hundreds if no thousands. A bit like stopping a tsunami with a snadbag dont you think?

Deny the freebies and people just simply wont bother. I notice everything has a 5 year run of interest and all this free porn, music, movie whatever is so accessible that people will become bored of it after gorging on it for years.

As for the anti censortship brigade, they dont really give a hoot about the censorship. Theyd rather fuck everyone off for making money by making it all available for free.

I dont deny downloading movies and TV shows. Not because everyone else is doing it but because quite simply, its just there like a free ?5 note on the high street. Who isnt going to pick one up if they saw it eh?