[x-pubpol] UK High Court: Pirate Bay illegal

[Joly MacFie]

http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2153671/court-rules-pirate-bay-file-sharing-website-infringes-copyright

British lawmakers inched closer to forcing internet service providers to
block file-sharing site The Pirate Bay after a judge ruled the site
infringed copyright laws.

The decision marks a major victory in the entertainment industry's battle
against online privacy.

High court judge Mr Justice Arnold said in his ruling that The Pirate Bay's
operators went “far beyond merely enabling or assisting” people to
unlawfully access copyrighted material.

“I conclude that both users and the operators of [The Pirate Bay] infringe
the copyrights of the claimants,” he said in his ruling.

The BPI, which has instigated much of the action against file-sharing
sites, said the ruling would help clarify the law on website blocking.

"The High Court today ruled that The Pirate Bay is illegal. The site
defrauds musicians and causes huge damage to the music industry and wider
creative industries,” said Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI.

“We will now proceed with our application to have the site blocked to
protect the UK's creative industries from further harm.”

The BPI had previously asked BT to block access to The Pirate
Bay voluntarily.

To date, BT has opposed efforts forcing it stop users accessing particular
websites. But the BPI and other copyright holders are having greater
success in imposing blocks via the courts.

Last week, TalkTalk, said it had begun steps to prevent its customers
accessing the Newzbin2 site, as a result of court action.

The high court is expected to rule later this year on whether ISPs should
block access to The Pirate Bay.

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