EMI launches High Court action against Irish government

EMI has launched a High Court action against the Irish government in a bid to stop the illegal downloading of music.

The Irish arm of EMI Records feels that the Irish government is dragging its feet on the issue despite recently pledging to issue an order which would allow copyright holders to compel ISPs to block access to pirate websites.

The record company is concerned that the arrival of such a statutory instrument is being delayed and may not be satisfactory to companies once it is implemented.

Chief executive Willie Kavanagh said yesterday that EMI asked the Irish government to show them the forthcoming instrument but has not yet received it, leading him to believe “it’s unlikely to satisfy the music industry’s requirement for injunctive relief”.

This follows on from a High Court case taken out by EMI and a number of its peers in an attempt to force leading Irish broadband provider UPC to impose certain anti-piracy measures.

The High Court noted that a provision stopping ISPs from allowing access to pirate sites was needed to align Irish law with EU requirements.

Music industry body Irma has a current agreement with Eircom based on the ‘three strikes’ rule where it notifies the company if it detects customers sharing copyrighted music on peer-to-peer services. Repeat activity, in turn, sees offending users’ broadband disconnected.

Kavanagh said Eircom’s system is “working incredibly well” and would like to see a similar regime in place for other ISPs

Source: Music Week