Courts / Ireland / Report

Movie giants get orders blocking streaming websites

Summary

The High Court Commercial Court granted an injunction on Monday, with Mr Justice Brian McGovern finding that specific websites engaged in widespread copyright infringement. The orders, issued under the 2000 Copyright and Related Act, were sought by the Motion Pictures Association, representing studios including Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Disney, Columbia, and Sony Pictures. The application was brought against Internet Service Providers, including Sky Ireland, Vodafone Ireland, Virgin Media Ireland, Three Ireland, Imagine Telecommunications, and Magnet Networks, none of whom opposed the request. Counsel for the applicants alleged that up to 1.5 million users in Ireland accessed the sites, which included GoMovies, Rarbg, EZTV, and Watchfree, to view unauthorised content. The judge noted significant public interest grounds for the orders, aiming to protect the livelihoods of copyright holders and legitimate distributors. Consequently, the ISPs are ordered to block or disable subscriber access to these websites. The judge described the measures as dissuasive, effective, and proportional, citing evidence that similar orders have successfully countered infringement in other jurisdictions.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Movie giants get orders blocking streaming websites. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• 2018-01-15 Publication

Why: Counsel said the association was concerned because the sites had "very substantial numbers" of users in Ireland. CNI source report

Case subjects

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Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report