Record Labels Sue Irish ISP, Demand Music Piracy Filtering

EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music, and Warner Music take Eircom to court to force it to begin blocking illegal P2P downloads of copyrighted music.

In what's being called a first of its kind in the war on illegal file-sharing by copyright holders in Ireland, the so-called "Big 4" music labels have banded together to sue the Irish ISP Eircom in order to force it to begin blocking P2P music downloads by its subscribers.

They want Eircom to begin using filtering software that prevents its customers from using P2P and file-sharing services to illegally download copyrighted music despite the fact that existing law in that country makes no requirement that it monitor the traffic on its network for illegal behavior.

Previously, cases of illegal file-sharing merely targeted individual users and not network service providers themselves.

Willie Kavanagh, managing director of EMI Ireland, said in a brief statement that "...the record industry was experiencing a 'dramatic and accelerating' decline in income and that Eircom was 'well aware' its facilities were being used to violate the property rights of record companies 'on a grand scale.'"

Solicitors - Eurospeak for lawyers - for Eircom point out, as mentioned above, that it has no existing legal obligation to monitor network traffic for illegal behavior. It's a point that shouldn't be taken lightly considering the possible fallout from such a requirement that could follow.

Imagine, for instance, if an ISP allowed a site that promoted radical action that resulted in death or injury. Would victims and their families be allowed to sue and hold them liable for "facilitating" the performance of the deed? Furthermore, where would the ISP's responsibility to monitor network traffic begin and where would it end?