Following its recent success in obtaining a court order for BT to block access to its users to Newzbin2, the file-sharing website, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) has asked two more Internet service providers (ISPs), TalkTalk and Virgin Media, to block access to the website. The MPA has asked the two ISPs to consent to a court order that would force them to block their own users’ access.
BT estimated that the cost of implementing the court order was approximately £5,000, so it is unlikely that it would be worth the ISPs putting up a legal fight against any forthcoming court order. Indeed, the ISPs seem to have indicated that they would comply with any court order they receive. However, there is some doubt as to whether they have agreed to the width of the MPA’s requests for their consent to a court order. The move will only add fuel to the fire stoked up by critics of website blocking – the speed with which the pressure to block Newzbin2 has spread to other ISPs may also spread to other websites (such as The Pirate Bay) and lead to more argument, perhaps in court.