Judge issues block on eight piracy websites in Ireland
Eight piracy websites infringing film and TV content in Ireland have been blocked, a move welcomed by the Motion Picture Association ( MPA).
Among the websites were Putlocker and Gomovies.
Justice Brian McGovern said that there was a significant public interest in combating copyright infringement. He added that such activities have a “detrimental” impact on the rights of creative artists and interfere with their livelihoods.
Research carried out by data company Incopro estimated that the eight websites received a minimum of 6,334,215 hits from Ireland in October 2017 alone. Most of the sites involved have already been blocked in other jurisdictions such as the UK and Norway.
David Burke, chairman of the Industry Trust for IP Awareness, Ireland, said it is important for consumers to understand the serious implications that are caused by pirated content.
“While enjoying a film, it is easy to overlook that a significant amount of time, effort and expense goes into every frame,” he commented.
“This is why it is so important to engage with film and TV audiences to let them know that by choosing to pay for content, they are supporting a network of highly dedicated professionals who rely on the audience for their livelihoods.”
The progress made in Ireland in blocking piracy websites will help ensure that Irish consumers have access to safe and legal content, while protecting the livelihoods of those working in film and TV, said MPA Europe president, Stan McCoy.
“As the Irish film industry is continuing to thrive, the MPA is dedicated to supporting that growth by combatting the operations of illegal sites that undermine the sustainability of the sector,” he commented.
McCoy added that preventing such sites will provide greater job security for 18,000 people employed in the Irish film industry.
Companies involved in the blocking action include Warner Bros Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Disney. They received support from independent distributors and filmmakers in Ireland.
Andrew Lowe of Dublin-based Element Pictures commented that this ruling will allow those involved in producing film and TV content to receive a fair return for their work.
“Websites that freely distribute content without sharing any of the cost or risk of production damage our industry and put Irish jobs at risk.”
This story was first published on TBO.
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