The British Recorded Music Industry (BPI), the UK’s music industry trade body, has followed up the court order obtained by the Motion Picture Association to force BT to block access to Newzbin2, the copyright infringing website, with a call for BT to also block access to The Pirate Bay, a website that allows users to download music, films and other copyright material. The BPI said that, if BT did not block The Pirate Bay voluntarily, it would apply for a court order to force the block.
BT’s initial response has been that it would need to be ordered by a court before taking action, in the same way that a court order was needed before Newzbin2 was blocked. Those downloading copyright content illegally may not be paying for the service they receive, but it is certainly costing the ISPs and industry bodies huge amounts in legal fees to try to prevent it.