This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Business News Digital Legal
Movie firm seeks to block dozens of piracy sites in Australia
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 27 February 2017
As expected, the web-block party is about to get properly underway in Australia, as movie firm Village Roadshow seeks an injunction forcing internet service providers there to block access to dozens of piracy websites.
A change in copyright law has enabled web-blocks down under, and last year Village Roadshow was among a number of companies to successfully secure a first web-block injunction against The Pirate Bay among others. That test case sorted out exactly how the new Australian web-blocking system was going to work.
The new web-block application, which is being led by Village Roadshow but is backed by others in the move industry, is targeting around 41 sites according to ComputerWorld. Amongst those on the list are old file-sharing favourites like ExtraTorrent, plus unlicensed streaming sites like 123Movies and illegal download platforms like RlsBB.
As much previously reported, critics of web-blocking argue that the blockades are ineffective because they are so easy to circumvent. However, rights owners reckon that they serve a useful educational role if nothing else, plus if search engines could be forced to also delist blocked sites – and any proxies set up to help people get around the blocks – then the anti-piracy tactic would be more effective, amongst mainstream web-users at least.