Recording Industry Says Irish ISPs Shouldn't Protest If It Demands Pirate Bay Block

from the that-doesn't-seem-right... dept

Irish ISP Eircom recently settled a lawsuit with the recording industry. The lawsuit itself was an oddity -- as it was the first time we could recall the industry actually suing an ISP over charges related to file sharing. The settlement, though, was quite troubling, as Eircom agreed to kick file sharers off the internet via a "three strikes" plan, despite the fact that many countries in Europe have said that it doesn't make sense to kick users off the internet -- and may actually be a violation of their civil rights.

However, much more troubling news is now coming out about the settlement. Reader eoinmonty alerts us to the news that IRMA, the Irish Recorded Music Association, has been sending letters to other ISPs throughout Ireland about the Eircom settlement, telling them that they should implement the same plan as Eircom, noting that it's "in accordance with Irish and European law." That's highly misleading. But, the really troubling part is the claim that the Eircom settlement includes an agreement by Eircom not to protest should IRMA demand that certain sites, such as The Pirate Bay, be blocked completely.

Other Irish ISPs are up in arms about this, noting that it's somewhat ridiculous to simply grant the recording industry free reign in deciding what can and cannot be blocked, without allowing ISPs to speak up against such egregious blocking. And, as some of those ISPs point out, it's particularly ridiculous to highlight The Pirate Bay, as it still hasn't been found to be illegal -- and certainly not in Ireland.

Filed Under: ireland, isps, three strikes, website blocks
Companies: eircom, irma, the pirate bay