IFPI welcomes Italian court's moves against The Pirate Bay

London, 12th August 2008

IFPI, the organisation that represents the recording industry worldwide, today welcomed news that an Italian prosecutor has issued an order to all ISPs in the country requesting that they block access to The Pirate Bay, the international engine of illegal file-sharing.

Following a criminal complaint by right holders, a prosecutor in the city of Bergamo issued the order to all Italian ISPs to block access to The Pirate Bay and other related sites. In addition the Italian authorities are continuing their investigation into the operators of the Pirate Bay and are preparing an international rogatory.

The investigation into the case has been carried out by the Guardia di Finanza (GdF) with the assistance of local music industry anti-piracy group FPM.

The Pirate Bay illegally facilitates access to many forms of copyright infringing material, including music, films, television programmes and games. The operators of the service openly flout copyright laws while driving advertising revenues through the service. On 31st January 2008 a Swedish prosecutor filed criminal charges against four individuals in connection with their role in operating The Pirate Bay.

John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI, says: "This decision sends out a clear message that The Pirate Bay's activities are illegal under Italian law. The Pirate Bay facilitates the mass infringement of copyright across music, film, television and games. Its very name shows the contempt its operators hold for the creators of legitimate content.

"We believe the forthcoming criminal trial in Sweden involving the operators of the service will show how much they are driven by making money, rather than any ideological considerations about free content. We welcome the fact that Italy is taking a stand against a service that is the international engine of illegal file-sharing."