Several Internet service providers (ISPs) in Ireland, including the country's largest ISP, will begin to block user access to peer-to-peer file sharing web sites, after an official request from the Irish Record Music Association (IRMA).
IRMA is actively compiling a list of several web sites it believes endorses copyright infringement on its music, with The Pirate Bay likely to be included on the list. Once a partial list is completed, IRMA will hand it over to ISPs who will begin to blacklist the web sites after receiving the appropriate court order.
Irish ISP Eircom has agreed to enact a new "three-strike" process that will give alleged file sharers three chances before their Internet access is cut. Furthermore, Eircom doesn't have the ability to oppose court action filed by IRMA because of its past legal issues with Irish copyright holders.
Eircom is being much more cooperative because of a recent lawsuit filed against the ISP by the Irish branches of EMI, Universal, Warner, and Sony, who accused Eircom of aiding piracy. The new three-strike policy was put into place because of the settlement with the Irish record labels.
Eircom will be the first Irish ISP to both block pirated content and kick suspected pirates off othe Internet.
