UK sleepwalking into comprehensive site blocking

Loz Kaye – Pirate Party UK Leader:

Yesterday, Justice Arnold ruled that the popular filesharing site PirateBay was guilty of copyright infringement, and so were its users. This opens the door to rightsholders demanding that BT start blocking the site, as happened in the recent Newzbin2 case.

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Ch/2012/268.html

This judgement clearly demonstrates the limitations of merely requiring judicial involvement in censorship orders. Without any party there to represent either the website or its users (including lawful users), there was no opportunity to raise any defence as to the damage allegedly done by the site, or the proportionality in blocking the entire website. While it is understandable that the ISPs would be unwilling to show up - given the surprising costs order awarded against BT after the Newzbin2 judgment - it is disappointing that, once more, no one was able to stand up to the BPI and the major record labels.

The UK is sleepwalking in to comprehensive site-blocking. This is not a tool we should be handing our governments or our courts. With the ConLib coalition impotent, and Labour still pushing for crackdowns, it is clearer than ever why the Pirate Party is needed to defend digital rights.

Loz Kaye
Party Leader
Pirate Party UK
@lozkaye

campaigns@pirateparty.org.uk

Contact:
press@pirateparty.org.uk
+44 (0) 161 987 7880