Wednesday, April 20, 2011

British operators fail to counter an anti-piracy law

Service Providers (ISP) British failed, Wednesday, April 20, in their legal action against a law passed in 2010 under the auspices of the Labour Party, which includes measures to fight against digital piracy. The incumbent operator BT Group (formerly British Telecom) and its rival TalkTalk, two of the largest ISPs in the country, had complained to the British courts against the "law on the digital economy" adopted last year, arguing that it violated European law and violated freedom of expression and the right to privacy of Internet users.

The High Court in London, before the record, however, rejected the application of two operators, much to the satisfaction of the representatives of the music industry, movie studios, video game publishers and other creators victims of piracy. The Confederation of British unions, the TUC also welcomed the ruling, on behalf of millions of employees in the sectors concerned.

A law passed by the associations worked several liberties by cons have regretted the court decision, which will, in their view, interfere with the rights of Internet users. "The case is not over yet. BT and TalkTalk are looking at whether there are possibilities of appeal," said the Open Rights Group.

This controversial law, which was passed at the initiative of former Minister for Trade Peter Mandelson, shortly before the defeat of Labour in the elections of spring 2010, contains a series of provisions aimed at strengthening the fight against illegal file sharing Internet and to protect intellectual property on the Web.

It will in particular require ISPs to cooperate with copyright holders to identify users who engage in piracy and facilitate legal proceedings against them, for example by delivering the addresses of the alleged harasser.

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