File sharing sites Movie2k and Download For All could be the next big sites to be blocked by UK ISPs.
Sources have tipped us off to a court ruling issued in late April will come into effect on Monday, May 20, 2013.
The case, allegedly brought by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) will see direct access to the sites blocked, much in the same way that action has been taken against the likes of The Pirate Bay, Newzbin and Kickass Torrents in the past.
It’s expected that BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and EE Broadband will be required to block access although none of the ISPs we’ve spoken to has confirmed this.
If sent a ruling from the High Court, the ISPs will, as was the case with the Pirate Bay and the rest, have no choice but to comply or risk prosecution.
Generally, once ISPs have received a ruling, there will be a deadline by which action will have to be taken. In the case of the Pirate Bay case brought by the BPI last year, ISPs had a month to block the site after the court order was presented. With the exception of BT, which successfully applied for more time to implement a wider-ranging technical solution, all ISPs blocked the Pirate Bay on time.
Update 1: An official BT spokesperson has now confirmed that the block will take effect imminently. “The block on Download4All and Movie2k should start at some point today,” the spokesperson said. “This is in addition to Newzbin, Pirate Bay, Fenopy, H33t and Kat which BT’s already blocking access to in compliance with previous court orders.”
Update 2: Now Virgin Media has confirmed that it has blocked the sites. A spokesperson said: “Virgin Media has received an order from the Courts requiring it to prevent access to Download4All and Movie2K in order to help protect against copyright infringement. As a responsible ISP, Virgin Media complies with court orders addressed to the company, but strongly believes that changing consumer behaviour to tackle copyright infringement also needs compelling legal alternatives to give consumers access to great content at the right price.”
Update 3: Sky has just confirmed that it too has blocked both sites as of May 20, 2013.
Update 4: TalkTalk has responded, confirming that it has acted as instructed by the court order and blocked Movie2K and Download4All.
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