This is important because if the ISPs agree to block people's Internet access based on criteria in contracts with the music hype industry, then any positive changes in the law will be eclipsed by the ISPs contracts. Sharing could become legal but blocked.
There's now a poll too: http://www.irishtimes.com/polls/index.cfm?fuseaction=yesnopoll&pollid=89...
[here follows just a complete copy of the story I posted yesterday]
Ciaran O'Riordan ciaran@member.fsf.org writes:
UPC refuses to block Pirate Bay http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0819/breaking49.htm
============ UPC Ireland, the parent company of the NTL and Chorus cable television operators, has rejected a request from music companies to block access to the Pirate Bay website.
A statement released today by UPC said solicitors acting on behalf of the Irish divisions of EMI, Warner, Universal and Sony had asked the company to block the website but they refuse to do so.
The statement read: “UPC has informed the rights holders that there is no basis under Irish law requiring an ISP to block access to certain websites and that it will not agree to a request that goes beyond what is currently provided for under Irish law.”
“Should the rights holders proceed with their threat of legal action if UPC fails to block access to Pirate Bay, UPC has every intention of vigorously defending its position in Court.”
The request is separate to ongoing court proceedings by the music companies over subscribers allegedly involved in illegal music downloads.
Similar proceedings were brought previously against Eircom which settled on terms including the companies providing Eircom with the IP (internet protocol) addresses of all people detected as illegally file-sharing copyright works. Eircom also agreed to disconnect subscribers who ignored warnings to cease infringements.
The Eircom case was the first here aimed at internet service providers, rather than individual illegal downloaders. About 20 billion music files were illegally downloaded worldwide in 2006 alone, it was claimed. Eircom was ordered to block access to Pirate Bay from September 1st this year. ============