By: MarkJ - 16 December, 2010 (12:47 PM) - Score: 9248 - Fixed Line Broadband, Piracy

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPA, MPAA) has filed an injunction against BT Retail which, using Section 97A of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, requires the broadband ISP to block access to a Newsgroup (Usenet) indexing website called Newzbin2.

The original Newzbin website was shut down earlier this year after the MPA accused it of helping to provide and host access to "illegal" (unlawful) copyright files. However Newzbin2 promptly reappeared shortly after, using both the same domain name and website content.


BT, which is believed to have refused the MPA's initial request to block Newzbin2, has confirmed the situation but chosen not to comment on the matter itself. As it stands the MPA may have a good case, supported by an earlier High Court win against the original website for copyright infringement.

Section's 97A is also the UK version of Europe's own Copyright Directive (8.3), which is similar to Denmark's law where identical demands have recently been won. On the surface this might seem unfair as the website claimed to merely be indexing newsgroups, although the court case did expose some dubious activity.

It's certainly a new move by Rights Holders, which have traditionally tried and often failed to target individual P2P file sharers. However it's unlikely to be very effective. ISPs do not host internet content, they are "mere conduits", and blocking access is little more than a placebo. It's incredibly easy to avoid such skin-deep restrictions.