A court order has been issued demanding UK ISPs to block 21 websites believed to be linked to pirated music.
BPI – which represents the British music industry – have issued the order, and have stated the blocks must be in force by Wednesday 30 October.
The list includes BeeMPS, Abmp3 and several torrent sites which link to copyright infringing material. Previously ISPs have been asked to block Pirate Bay and seven other similar websites.
Geoff Taylor, BPI chief executive, said: “We asked the sites to stop infringing copyright but unfortunately they did not and we were left with little choice but to apply to the court.”
BT and Virgin Media have both so far promised to block the sites.
The BPI and other copyright holders regard site blocking as a more effective tool in the fight against piracy than targeting individuals which was originally the plan under legislation passed in the Digital Economy Act.
The BPI feels that the blocks currently in force have “significantly reduced the use of those sites in the UK.”
Much of the focus of copyright infringement has shifted from music to illegal film and TV downloads.