Ireland Is Latest With Plan to Cut Into Copyright Violations; New York Times, 4/16/10

Eric Pfanner, New York Times; Ireland Is Latest With Plan to Cut Into Copyright Violations:

"A judge in Ireland on Thursday cleared the way for the implementation of a crackdown on Internet piracy, dismissing the Irish Data Protection Commissioner’s concerns that the plan could result in the invasion of privacy.

The judge upheld the legality of an agreement between Eircom, the largest Internet service provider in Ireland, and the music industry. Under the deal, Eircom has agreed to suspend digital pirates’ Internet connections if they ignore repeated warnings to stop the unauthorized copying of music.

In his ruling, the judge, Peter Charleton, issued a strong defense of the rights of copyright owners.

“The Internet is only a means of communication,” he wrote. “It is not an amorphous extraterrestrial body with an entitlement to norms that run counter to the fundamental principles of human rights. There is nothing in the criminal or civil law which legalizes that which is otherwise illegal simply because the transaction takes place over the Internet.”

The music industry has been urging Internet service providers to take stronger action against piracy, though they have generally resisted measures like those agreed to by Eircom. In France and Britain, governments have approved laws authorizing suspension of pirates’ Internet accounts, though these measures have not yet gone into effect.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry hailed the decision in Ireland.

“This sends a strong message to governments that are now considering how to help their creative industries address the threat of mass online piracy,” the group said."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/17/technology/17eircom.html?scp=2&sq=copyright&st=cse