Dutch enforcement organisation requests blocking The Pirate Bay

By EDRi · May 5, 2010

This article is also available in:
Deutsch: [Niederländische Urheberrechtsorganisation fordert Sperre von The Pirate Bay | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1904]

The Dutch copyright enforcement organisation Brein has requested Dutch
internet provider Ziggo to block access to The Pirate Bay. The request
concerns the blocking of access of Ziggo’s subscribers to the website,
which is hosted outside of The Netherlands. Ziggo has announced that it
will not cooperate with the request, which means that Brein will likely
request the court to order this.

If Ziggo were to be ordered to block access to a website, this would be
a first in The Netherlands. EDRi-member Bits of Freedom reacted emphasizing
that such an order would be at odds with the mere conduit-exception as set
out in the E-commerce Directive and a threat to net neutrality.

The request to block the website comes after the Dutch court has decided
that The Pirate Bay acts unlawfully vis-a-vis Dutch rightsholders, and
ordered to deny Dutch users access to infringing torrents. The Pirate
Bay has not complied with this order.

Brain asked Ziggo to block The Pirate Bay (only in Dutch, 29.04.2010)
http://www.nu.nl/internet/2237899/brein-vraagt-ziggo-blokkade-the-pirate-bay.html

In the news: BRAIN Ziggo calls to block ThePirateBay (only in Dutch,
30.04.2010)
http://anti-piracy.nl/nieuws/bericht.asp?nieuwsberichtid=207

(Contribution by Ot van Daalen – EDRi-member Bits of Freedom – Netherlands)