IFPI continues to pressure ISPs to act as Internet police

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

Despite the criticism and negative reaction of the ISPs in several
countries, IFPI continues to pressures them in turning themselves into
Internet police. Following Denmark, Norway and Ireland, it is the turn of
the Swedish ISPs to be the target of the association.

What IFPI asks is for ISPs to restrict their customers’ access to websites
allegedly facilitating copyright infringement. As until now it had little
success in its discussions with the ISPs, IFPI has decided to use legal
pressure. “We believe that ISPs have a special part to play in this and must
help us. The discussions we’ve tried to have with the ISPs haven’t led
anywhere” said IFPI’s Managing Director in Sweden, Lars Gustafsson.

According to Gustaffson, the focus will be on one particular company that
allegedly facilitates filesharing on the Internet and one of the services
they are after is The PirateBay. IFPI has already sent out letters to
several service providers, asking them to monitor their customers and to
filter websites.

However, most ISPs have refused to cooperate with the IFPI. Telia Sonera, a
large Swedish ISP considered such actions are illegal under EU law and
Norwegian ISPs had the same response.

IFPI argue that restricting access to filesharing sites might be to the
advantage of ISPs. “Illegal P2P file-sharing may have helped drive broadband
subscriptions in the past, yet today these activities, particularly in
respect of movies, are hogging bandwidth,” they state.

Until now, IFPI obtained a victory in February in Denmark when Tele2 was
order by the court to block its customers’ access to The PirateBay but
the decision is now under appeal and the PirateBay has announced its
intention to ask for compensation.

IFPI to Sue Swedish ISP for Facilitating Copyright Infringement (2.05.2008)
http://torrentfreak.com/ifpi-to-sue-swedish-isp-for-facilitating-copyright-infringement-080502/

Swedish ISP Refuses To Block The Pirate Bay (27.03.2008)
http://torrentfreak.com/swedish-isp-refuses-to-block-pirate-bay-080327/

EDRI-gram: Setback for IFPI in its case against PirateBay (23.04.2008)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number6.8/ifpi-setback-piratebay