BT ordered to block Newzbin2 within a fortnight

BT has a deadline of 9 November to block UK customers' access to the Newzbin2 file-sharing site.

Judge Arnold followed up his July ruling in favour of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), in which he had rejected BT's argument that as an internet service provider (ISP) it had no responsibility to act against copyright theft.

He ruled that BT must block access to the site within 14 days of his judgement on 26 October.

The ruling recognised that blocking a single IP address would be "too easily circumvented to be effective". Newzbin2 has also previously threatened it could "run faster than [the MPA] and shape shift".

He therefore ordered BT to block any IP address the MPA believes has the "sole or predominant purpose is to enable or facilitate access" to the Newzbin2 website". Furthermore, the MPA will not have to take further legal action to have suspected IP addresses blocked.

"I do not consider that the studios should be obliged to return to court for an order in respect of every single IP address or URL that the operators of Newzbin2 may use," Judge Arnold said.

Consumer organisations have warned web blocking is "crude" and that there is a significant danger that people will be barred from accessing legitimate sites.

Legitimate business websites that permit visitors to publish comments could also be caught up in the net if messages contain links to Newzbin2 pages.

Mike O'Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus said: "Blocking websites like Newzbin 2 is a sticking plaster in terms of dealing with copyright infringement. Instead of just playing whack-a-mole with website blocking, the industry needs to focus their energies on coming up with an integrated strategy on how to move customers from illegal to legal services.

"Website blocking technology is crude - often perfectly legal sites are inadvertently blocked too, raising the issue of all ISP subscribers being denied access to legal content and services."

The landmark ruling has been welcomed by the entertainment industry.
Lord Puttnam CBE, President of Film Distributors' Association, said: "This is a very significant day for the UK's creative industries. The law is clear. Industrial online piracy is illegal and can be stopped."