Sky Ireland Asked by Sony, Universal and Warner to Block Pirate Subscribers

• Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Brothers, and Universal Studios have struck an agreement with Sky Ireland in an attempt to block pirate subscribers.
• Users who are caught streaming content through illegitimate means thrice will be banned from the ISP’s services.
• Rumors suggest that Vodafone is the next company targeted by the three studios to be a part of the “three strikes” agreement.

Three of the biggest entertainment studios in the world have teamed up with Sky Ireland in an attempt to put a stop to piracy. Any user who is caught streaming pirated content thrice through piracy-enabled IPTV boxes or illegal streams will be blocked from using Sky’s broadband services. The move is similar to what the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) had implemented in the past through its partnership with Irish telecom Eircom.

Once again, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Bros., and Universal Studios are partnering with the IRMA to put a halt to pirate streams by leveraging local ISPs. Vodafone is rumored to become the third ISP to partner with the studios and the IRMA to tackle pirate streams. However, Vodafone is yet to agree to the demands from the labels citing technical difficulties, and the ISP has requested more time.

It remains to be seen if the labels and Sky Network will be able to effectively police users viewing pirated content. The High Court of Ireland ruled in 2015 that ISP’s do not have the right to track subscriber activities online, but it seems like Sony and the other two labels do not want to give up. With Sony's recent attempts at cracking down on piracy, it is likely that the company will target ISPs in other countries as well.

While Sky Network has agreed to monitor user activity online, the ISP has requested a court order to put the agreement with the labels into effect.  The Irish broadband provider revealed in a statement “It’s therefore important that companies like ours do what they can, alongside the Government and the rest of the media and technology industries, to help protect copyright.” IRMA chief Willie Kavanagh has already filed the supporting papers requesting a court order earlier this week.

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