Ireland High Court gives entertainment giants the power to disconnect whole families from the net - Boing Boing

Cory Doctorow at 8:24 AM April 20, 2010

Mr. Justice Peter Charleton of Ireland's High Court has ruled that ISPs can and should disconnect their customers from the net on the strength of unsubstantiated accusations of copyright infringement. It's not just accused infringers to be disconnected, either -- their entire families will be taken off the net.

That judgment has just arrived, and it pulls no punches. Mr. Justice Peter Charleton refers to illegal downloads of music and movies with a wide variety of synonyms: theft, stealing, filtering, "plague of copyright infringement." He has already approved an Eircom block of the entire Pirate Bay website.

When it comes to the actual technology involved here, the justice betrays a certain lack of confidence. "Again, reviewing the evidence that I heard in this case, it seems to operate like this," he says, trying to describe P2P technology. Or again, "As I understand the evidence that I heard..." Or again, "One can find out by looking at the IP number, I understand..."

Major labels go bragh? Irish judge allows 3 strikes (Thanks, Arkizzle!)

via boingboing.net

Idiotic.

Posted via web from Firesaw