Internet service providers in the U.K. have been told by a court that they must block access to file-sharing directory The Pirate Bay.
The High Court said ISPs Sky, Everything Everywhere, TalkTalk, O2, and Virgin Media must stop their users from being able to access the site, the BBC reported.
Back in February, The Hon. Mr Justice Arnold ruled that both The Pirate Bay and its users illegally share copyrighted music. A number of music organizations wanted the courts to ban access to the site in the U.K.
“The High Court has confirmed that The Pirate Bay infringes copyright on a massive scale,” said Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) lobby group. “Its operators line their pockets by commercially exploiting music and other creative works without paying a penny to the people who created them.”
The sixth major U.K. ISP, British Telecom (BT), asked for a “few more weeks to further consider its position.”
The BPI previously asked the ISPs to block access to The Pirate Bay, but the firms replied that they needed a court order before acting.
The Pirate Bay may yet live on in the U.K., however. BT was ordered to block another file-sharing site, Newzbin2, in October by the same judge. According to PC Pro, that site is still accessible through a different domain name and can be found via search engines.
Photo by shodan
