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Does access to torrent file websites lead people to illegally download copyrighted material? Music companies think so, and four of them have secured orders requiring six Irish internet providers to block access to the Pirate Bay, the leading torrent site, in hopes of preventing copyright infringement.
Four music companies, EMI, Sony, Warner Music, and Universal, alleged that the Pirate Bay’s activities have cost them €20m annually. While previous legal action against the Pirate Bay and its founders has proven unable to take the site down, the music companies sought and were granted orders requiring Ireland’s leading internet providers, UPC, Imagine, Vodafone, DigiWeb, Hutchison 3G Ltd and Telefonica O2 Ireland Ltd to block access to the site. (Internet provider Eircom has already voluntarily blocked access to the site for its providers.)
The Irish Times reports that the internet providers named as defendants took a neutral stance regarding the order, but feared that it did raise issues that could lead to the blocking of legitimate sites in the future.
Justice Brian McGovern, who approved the order, said that new copyright laws in Ireland and the European Union permitted his decision, and that the music companies will not have to reapply for new orders if the Pirate Bay changes its URL.
The judge also determined that, while neutral, the internet providers were the conduit through which wrongful activity conducted by Pirate Bay has been affected, and would therefore be responsible for the costs of blocking the site.
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“There is no doubt that this activity has caused, and continues to cause, substantial financial damage to the plaintiffs,” ruled McGovern.
The Irish Times reports that 200,000 Irish users, representing approximately 8 percent of all internet users in the nation, access the Pirate Bay at least once a month.
While the Pirate Bay provides access to files that allow for the illegal sharing of copyrighted material via torrent files, the Pirate Bay itself does not create the files, nor host any of the illegal content on their site. Torrent technology is used to share content, both legally and illegally, and thousands of musicians use torrent files and sites like the Pirate Bay to distribute their own music and build a following.
