Federal Court orders telcos Telstra, Optus, Vocus, Vodafone, TPG to ban illegal streaming websites

Netflix has joined forces with an alliance of TV and movie companies to block a long list of illegal streaming platforms in Australia.

Netflix has joined forces with an alliance of TV and film companies to block 63 illegal streaming sites in Australia after orders from the Federal Court in a major crackdown on pirated content.

Telstra, Optus, TPG, Vodafone and 48 other internet service providers have been told to block access to most illegal streaming sites in Australia, in a court order on Tuesday.

Action to block the sites has already commenced.

It follows a three-year court charge led by alliance of foreign-owned television stations and filmmakers to prevent their content being accessed without payment.

Roadshow Cinemas led the charge, and was joined by Disney Enterprises, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros, and Netflix — as well as Chinese media companies Television Broadcasts and TVB.

Some of the services now banned include flixtor, cipflix and various 123movies sites as well as several torrent hosting platforms.

Justice Victor Nicholas ordered access to 63 streaming sites be banned in a bid to stop Australians breaching copyright via websites that “infringe, or facilitate the infringement of, copyright in large numbers of cinematograph films”, in a major crackdown on illegal streaming in Australia.

The telcos have been given seven days to block the sites, but many have already moved to lock Australians out of the streaming sites.

Telstra said they’d implement the courts orders to block the streaming sites.

“We will abide by the Federal Court ruling and we will act accordingly,” a Telstra spokesman said.

Optus said the same, noting when ordered by the courts it “blocks websites that the Court has determined infringe or facilitate the infringement of copyright”.

The move by Roadshow cinemas comes as the fight to stamp out illegal streaming heats up.

In recent days, Roadshow cinemas signed a deal that would see it exclusively make movies for Fox Entertainment-owned streaming platform Tubi.

Paramount for its part has also recently launched its Paramount+ streaming platform.

No Australian media or production companies brought on the action to block the websites.

Justice Nicholas made the orders after none of the streaming website responded to requests to join them to the matter and none appeared.

“I am satisfied that the applicants have made reasonable efforts to determine the identity and address of the persons who operate the relevant websites, and to give them notice of this proceeding and the orders sought,” he said on Tuesday.

The move will see telcos block access to the IP address of almost every major illegal streaming site.

“The evidence satisfies me that each of the target online locations identified in the applicants’ proposed orders infringes or facilitates the infringement of the applicants’ copyright in various well-known cinematograph films,” Justice Nicholas said in his judgment.

Justice Nicholas also gave the companies the power to come back to the court if they discover new websites operating under the same “brands” as those blocked in his orders.

He said if the streaming sites don’t respond to these attempts to block them, then the court can wave through their banning “on papers without any oral hearing”.

Telstra said they’d implement the courts orders to block the streaming sites.

“We will abide by the Federal Court ruling and we will act accordingly,” a Telstra spokesman said.

Optus said the same, noting when ordered by the courts it “blocks websites that the Court has determined infringe or facilitate the infringement of copyright”.