A group of film production giants including Roadshow, Disney and Netflix have launched fresh legal action to force Australia’s top internet service providers to block a suite of pirate websites that have found renewed popularity amid a battle between streaming services and the fragmentation of content offerings.
The film studios – including Roadshow, Disney, Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros, Paramount and Netflix – launched the action earlier this month seeking to protect the copyright of a range of box office hits including children’s favourites The Lego Movie and films from the Toy Story franchise as well as episodes of Netflix favourite Stranger Things and the Big Bang Theory.
Netflix’s Stranger Things is one of the popular illegal downloads.Credit: .Supplied
It’s the most recent action by the film studios which have peppered Australian internet service providers with court requests to block access to the pirate sites over the past few years since law requiring ISPs to block sites that were determined to be pirate sites were passed in 2015.
Telstra, Optus, TPG and its owned brands (including Vodafone, iiNet) along with Aussie Broadband are all listed as defendants as well as a long list of smaller providers. The studios have previously launched separate action against the broadband providers to block specific titles on pirate sites.
“The application made at the Federal Court of Australia is another important step for the many people who earn their living in the creative and copyright industries in Australia,” said Andrew Stewart, from Baker McKenzie, who is running the case for the studios.
Stewart said the case also reflected the important roles of ISPs in addressing piracy.
“Research reveals that blocking orders which have been adopted in dozens of countries around the world are effective in decreasing traffic to illegal pirate websites and in migrating users to legal content providers.“
Federal data reported earlier this year showed a resurgence of piracy in recent years after initially tapering off following the new laws and court orders. That increase was put down to a proliferation of streaming services that has fragmented offerings by studios and led to some consumers to seek out shows and movies that are not offered on their preferred streaming providers.
The studios took fresh action this month to shut down 24 sites offering illegal downloads of their shows and movies including alternative versions of the notorious KickAssTorrents sites and TorrentsBay.
This was the second action taken this year alone, following the studios asking the court for orders to shut down more than 50 sites in August. The studios last year won orders for the ISPs to block 63 sites that were offering illegal downloads of its films.
Pirate websites have found renewed popularity in Australia.Credit: Warner Bros
Industry sources who declined to be named because they weren’t authorised to speak on the record said all of the telcos involved had followed the court’s orders and blocked sites over several years and various court cases.
The telcos indicated they would continue to abide by the court’s orders.
“We will abide by the Federal Court ruling and will act accordingly,” a spokesman for Telstra said.
A spokesperson for Optus said: “When instructed to do so by federal courts or the Australian Federal Police, Optus blocks domains.”
A spokesperson for TPG said: “We don’t condone piracy and will abide by court rulings when instructed by the courts or federal police.”
Aussie Broadband declined to comment.
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