The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has asked multiple Internet service providers in the UK to block access to file sharing sites Fenopy, H33t and Kickass Torrents. The BPI, a collective group that represents rights holders, says the sites are being used to illegally distribute copyrighted music among members.
Unsurprisingly, the six ISPs in question – BT, EE, O2, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media – have all declined to comply with the request unless ordered to do so by a court. The largest of the group, BT, told BBC News that they were currently considering their options.
Earlier this year, a similar request was made to the same six ISPs to block access to The Pirate Bay. In that instance, however, the BPI was equipped with a court order that ultimately led to compliance by all ISPs over the following months.
The group is hoping the previous case will set precedent for this and future requests to move the process along at a faster pace. The BPI is reportedly hoping to get the sites blocked by Christmas but that will all depend on the court’s availability between now and then to issue an order.
Gauging the effectiveness of a court order can be a tricky task. Nielsen ratings revealed that traffic dropped by three quarters in the UK following the court-ordered blockade, a figure disputed by at least one IPS. The unnamed ISP said there was an initial dip in traffic but it recovered fully within just one week as new services were set up to access the site through other means.
