Hollywood movie studios won a landmark ruling High Court UK on Thursday to force BT to block access to illegal file sharing website accused of operating "on a large scale."
The Motion Picture Association, the trade body whose members include Warner Bros, Fox, Disney and Paramount Pictures, has been awarded an order requiring BT - UK's largest, the Internet service provider - to block access of their customers to the website Newzbin2.
Thursday's verdict will be available to creative industries as a milestone that could set a precedent for blocking websites widespread illegal file sharing by the ISP, helping to stop the flow of digital piracy in the UK.
"In my view, it appears that BT has a real knowledge of other people using the service to infringe copyright: known to users and operators Newzbin2 copyright infringement on a large scale, and in particular, infringes the copyright of the studies in a large number of movies and television, "Arnold said in his ruling Justice in High Court in London.
"[BT] knows Newzbin2 users include BT subscribers and meets users to use their services to receive illegal copies of copyrighted works available to them Newzbin2," said Arnold.
BT had argued that forcing the prohibition of its 6 million customers in the UK have access to a website would be the beginning of a new wave of online censorship.
However, the creative industries website blocking claim could save hundreds of millions of pounds in illegal downloads.
AMP backs Newzbin2 said illegal TV shows and movies, and receives over 1 million pounds a year from its 700,000 users.
"This ruling Justice Arnold is a victory for millions of people working in the creative industries in the UK and demonstrates that the law of the land must apply," said Chris Marcich, managing director of AMP, Europe, Middle East and Africa. "This lawsuit was not an attack on the ISP, but we need your cooperation to address NewzBin page that continually tries to evade the law and judicial sanction."
The struggle of the film industry to block NewzBin dates back to March last year when the high court ordered the site to end all its pirated material and pay damages to the studios.
The three men behind NewzBin Ltd - Chris Elsworth, Thomas Lee Hurst and Skillen - sold all its shares in the company of David Harris, shortly before trial. NewzBin Ltd went into administration shortly after the sentence and avoid huge payments.
Months later a clone operation site anonymously from Sweden. Rights holders said they had no choice but to force BT to block access to users from the UK to the website, saying that all other legal avenues had been exhausted.
Simon Milner, policy director of industry group BT said the last trial of the holders of rights means that now have to prove in court that a Web site violates copyright before it is locked.
Milner added that the trial puts the Digital Economy blocking scheme voluntary act, made in the round tables of industry earlier this year with Ed Vaizey, Minister of Culture, in an uncertain position.
"[The decision] is really useful and we welcome because it clarifies a complex question of law and shows that rights holders can use the copyright laws in this country. This means they have to show a vulnerable site before [a] court and obtain a court order, "he said.
Milner did not reveal how much they cost ISPs such as BT to block offending websites.
Other ISPs, including Virgin Media and Talk Talk, refused to join the battle against BT film studios, the court was told in June.
Speaking after the ruling Thursday, a spokesman for TalkTalk said the ruling "has no direct or immediate" impact on the ISP, the second largest in the UK but would consider any similar injunction filed by the movie studios against him.
The association of Internet service providers, which represents UK ISPs, said: "The concern about over-blocking, ease of circumvention and encryption are widely recognized to increase meaning that the blockade is not a bullet Silver to stop the violation of copyright online. "
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