Danish court confirms Pirate Bay is illegal & orders access to be blocked by ISP

• Ruling comes weeks before criminal prosecution in Sweden

London, 27th November 2008

Music companies internationally today welcomed a landmark Danish ruling involving the world’s best known pirate distributor of music, books and films. The decision confirms the illegality of Sweden's Pirate Bay and requires a Danish ISP to implement measures to block access to the site.

The judgment delivered yesterday by the Danish appeal court upholds the decision earlier this year requiring access to the Pirate Bay to be blocked. The court confirmed the mass scale infringement taking place on the Pirate Bay site and that the ISP in question, Sonofon, is contributing to the infringements by allowing access to the pirate site. It is the latest step forward in attempts by the creative industries to engage ISPs in helping stop massive copyright infringement on the internet.

Pirate Bay is a commercially-driven business which makes substantial revenues by distributing unauthorised copies of copyrighted works. The four individuals responsible for setting up and running the site are facing criminal prosecution in Sweden and the hearing is scheduled to begin in February in Stockholm.

The ruling was welcomed by IFPI, representing a membership of some 1,400 record companies internationally.

IFPI Chairman and CEO John Kennedy said: "This is a very important decision which sets a precedent for other countries and highlights the key role that ISPs should play in helping protect copyright online . The ruling is also a clear confirmation of the illegality of the Pirate Bay, coming just a few weeks before the criminal prosecution of the site's operators in Sweden. For everyone trying to make a living out of music, this is hopefully the start of the endgame for a business which is ripping off creators all over the world, and whose motivation is very clearly nothing to do with music but a great deal to do with making money."

The organisation representing independent record companies also welcomed the decision. Alison Wenham, President of the World Independent Network (WIN) said: " It is very good news to see the courts clarifying that ISPs have a key role to play in helping curb sites like Pirate Bay which simply trade on the theft of the work of creative people."