ISPs in Ireland get backing of court

Internet service providers in Ireland have received the backing of the Irish court, after the court decided that laws regarding cutting off illegal file sharers cannot be enforced.

It has been reported that Internet providers in Ireland have received the backing of the High Court. A decision has been made by the Irish High Court that laws relating to cutting off broadband users who are found to be illegally file sharing cannot be enforced in the country.

The move comes after one Irish Internet provider took action against copyright holders including Sony and EMI. UPC is the ISP that took the action, and the ruling will be seen as a great victory for the provider. The move will not be welcomed by the copyright holder, however, especially as many believe that similar moves may now be made elsewhere with regards to cutting off illegal file sharers.

The High Court judge did say that illegal file sharing was “destructive of an important native industry”. However, he said that there were no laws in Ireland that would allow for the disconnection of illegal file sharers and that if they were disconnected there could be breaches of European laws.

Further moves are being considered by The Irish Recorded Music Association (Irma), with one official stating: “The judge was very clear he wanted to rule in his favour but couldn’t because the legislation wasn’t in place. The committee is meeting today. There are a couple of options – to appeal to the Supreme Court or to lobby government to change the legislation.”

Source – BBC