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The Sydney Morning Herald reports that ISPs will have to block access to piracy sites and divert Australians towards a web page created by movie studios, the Federal court ruled on Thursday afternoon.
In a case that covers more than fifty Australian internet service providers [ISPs], Justice John Nicholas of the Federal Court in Sydney ruled in favour of movie studios, including Roadshow Films, Colombia Pictures, Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, and 20th Century Fox.
The movie studios must now create and host a website within five days, to which Australian ISPs will direct any user who tries to connect to (initially) the SolarMovie pirating site. The content owners will also have to pay the ISPs $50 for every site they want blocked.
[...] In his decision Justice Nicholas said there were 61 sites that infringed Australian copyright laws by making films available online without licence from the copyright owners.
In relation to The Pirate Bay he wrote: "I am satisfied that the facilitation of the infringement of copyright is flagrant, and that the operator of the The Pirate Bay sites has shown a blatant and wilful disregard for the rights of copyright owners".
[...] Hollywood studios tried to get ISPs to crack down on piracy in 2012, but failed after the High Court found internet providers are not liable for copyright infringement.
VPN use is already taking off in Australia. This will just increase the uptake.
https://www.cnet.com/au/news/vpn-use-increases-in-australia-amid-data-retention-and-piracy-concerns/
Australia's Federal Court has handed down a decision to block piracy websites but sided with the ISPs that the content holders should foot the bill. The means of blocking is to be agreed on by the content holders and ISPs.
Media Reports:
http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/piracy/federal-court-expected-to-hand-down-decision-on-blocking-illegal-torrent-and-streaming-sites-today/news-story/c1b0349a2cc6e3fb96007ddf04742efc
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-15/federal-court-orders-pirate-bay-blocked-in-australia/8116912
Actual decision :
http://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2016/2016fca1503
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Appalbarry on Friday December 16 2016, @02:21AM
98% of the time if I'm downloading from the Pirate Bay it's a product that I would have paid for, but which some corporation refuses to sell me at a reasonable price.
Geoblocking in particular, a concept that is utterly pointless in this day and age, is something that just irritates me no end.
Instead off mounting battles to stop unlicensed distribution, media companies should work on making it so easy and cheap to buy legally that most people won't bother with torrents.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 16 2016, @02:28AM
That's like corporations hiring foreign workers saying they would be willing to pay more for US workers, if they didn't act entitled, goof off during work hours and take too much sick leave. Is that fair?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 16 2016, @03:33AM
False equivalence. Giant corporations--the very same ones you decry in your comment--have pushed for and succeeded in getting exceedingly draconian copyright laws and censorship. Since this is a case which involves the government censoring websites at the behest of corporations, I'm not sure where the similarities are. It would make more sense for you to argue that draconian copyright laws are similar to your example, since those limit the public domain and take away from the common person while mostly benefiting large corporations.
Acknowledging the reality that copyright infringement can't feasibly be stopped is necessary in order to take a step forward. Stop with the draconian copyright laws, stop with the censorship, and offer products at a reasonable price and make them easily available to people. No matter what your position about copyright is, just whining about how unfair copyright infringement is will not alter how the world works.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 16 2016, @03:49AM
In my case it's been working versions of nonworking programs that I already paid for and can't get a refund on. If it weren't for stupid 'copy protection' schemes getting in the way of MY rights as a *purchaser*, I'd have likely never seen the pirate bay logo.