It's block o'clock as BT, O2 and Virgin Media bar access to torrent sites

It's block o'clock as BT, O2 and Virgin Media wipe-out access to torrent sites
Will the ban have any impact in combating piracy?

Three of the UK's biggest Internet Service Providers have today started blocking access to some of the web's most-used torrent websites.

Following a high court order issued last month, BT, Virgin Media and O2 will no longer allow their customers to visit or download from the popular KickAss Torrents, H33T and Fenopy websites.

The Register reports that KickAss Torrents is one of the top 50 most-visited websites in the UK, while the other two have followings in the hundreds of thousands using the service each day.

The ISPs have not banned the websites voluntarily, but did not fight a petition to the court from the British Photographic Industry, which spearheaded the fight in the interests of nine record labels.

Will it work? Probably not

The February 28 ruling, under Section 97A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, also requires Sky, EE and TalkTalk to follow suit, but those companies are yet to initiate the bans.

The three sites follow The Pirate Bay into the ISP abyss, following a court ruling in April 2012 forcing UK service.

However, just how successful these bans have been and will continue to be, remains to be seen.

Despite being blocked by all of the major UK IPs, Pirate Bay and its users have found ways to keep the site very much alive in the UK.

Via The Register

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.