Overview

Owners of intellectual property rights have long claimed that internet service providers ought to help in cracking down on piracy on the internet. ISPs have responded by saying that they have no control over what their services are used for and cannot be required to monitor all their traffic for IP infringement.

This thorny issue has now been addressed by Arnold J in the High Court in a test case brought by Hollywood studios 20th Century Fox for an order against BT under section 97A of the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.

The judgment is a significant victory for the studios, as Wragges reports. Click 'View Briefing' to read more.