Film-makers are going to court in a bid to block access to a site that hosts pirated versions of popular movies.
In a UK legal first, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) has applied for an injunction forcing BT to cut off access for its customers to Newzbin.
The MPA, the industry body for a number of movie studios, said it was targeting BT first as the largest internet service provider in the UK.
BT confirmed it would be in court later but did not make any further comment.
The MPA wants BT to block Newzbin with the same system that stops access to sites hosting child sex abuse images.
The members-only website aggregates a large amount of the illegally copied material found on Usenet discussion forums.
The MPA is the international arm of the Motion Picture Association of America - the industry body representing movie studios such as Warner, Sony, Fox, Disney and Paramount.
Continue reading the main story
?Start Quote
Newzbin has no regard for UK law and it is unacceptable that it continues to infringe copyright on a massive and commercial scale when it has been ordered to stop by the High Court?
End Quote Chris Marcich MPA European president
It brought its action against BT because, as well as being the largest ISP in the UK with more than 5.6 million customers, BT supplies the site-blocking system known as Cleanfeed to many other big UK ISPs.
Success in the courts may mean the blocking spreads to those other operators.
The MPA began its legal action against UK-operated Newzbin in 2010, which resulted in the High Court telling the site to remove material it hosted that infringed copyright.
BBC News - Film-makers seek injunction to block pirate site
In a UK legal first, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) has applied for an injunction forcing BT to cut off access for its customers to Newzbin.
The MPA, the industry body for a number of movie studios, said it was targeting BT first as the largest internet service provider in the UK.
BT confirmed it would be in court later but did not make any further comment.
The MPA wants BT to block Newzbin with the same system that stops access to sites hosting child sex abuse images.
The members-only website aggregates a large amount of the illegally copied material found on Usenet discussion forums.
The MPA is the international arm of the Motion Picture Association of America - the industry body representing movie studios such as Warner, Sony, Fox, Disney and Paramount.
Continue reading the main story
?Start Quote
Newzbin has no regard for UK law and it is unacceptable that it continues to infringe copyright on a massive and commercial scale when it has been ordered to stop by the High Court?
End Quote Chris Marcich MPA European president
It brought its action against BT because, as well as being the largest ISP in the UK with more than 5.6 million customers, BT supplies the site-blocking system known as Cleanfeed to many other big UK ISPs.
Success in the courts may mean the blocking spreads to those other operators.
The MPA began its legal action against UK-operated Newzbin in 2010, which resulted in the High Court telling the site to remove material it hosted that infringed copyright.
BBC News - Film-makers seek injunction to block pirate site
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