P2P filesharing sites will soon be nigh on unaccessible in Ireland: the country’s largest ISP, Eircom has just announced it will be banning P2P sites sharing pirated content, with other ISPs being asked to follow suit.
Eircom has just struck a deal with the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA), which represents the big four music labels in the country, to block access to a list of P2P sites that connect pirates together to download copyright material.
If the blacklisting goes ahead, it will be the first time a European ISP has put an outright ban on P2P sites.
Eircom is awaiting the list of P2P sites IRMA deems naughty, and you can bet the Pirate Bay will be sitting pretty at the top of it. IRMA is asking all other ISPs in Ireland to do the same, and if they fail to, IRMA says it will take them to court.
It’ll be interesting to see the ISPs’ response to the request, as P2P filesharing in itself is certainly not illegal – a legal point that the current Pirate Bay trial in Sweden hinges on. As always, we’ll keep you posted.
Out TBC | £TBC | Eircom (Via Sunday Business Post)
