Judge tells internet providers to hand over subscriber details in piracy case

A HIGH COURT judge yesterday ordered Eircom and two other internet service providers to provide details of subscribers to allow a number of music companies to take legal action against 49 persons they believe are illegally uploading thousands of music tracks to file-sharing networks.

In only the second case of its kind, Mr Justice Peter Kelly ordered that the internet service providers should disclose the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the 49 holders of the Internet Protocol numbers identified by the music companies.

The judge also said illegal uploading of music to the internet was “simply thieving”. He said it may be a modern form of thieving done in one’s own house but it was thieving. Mr Justice Kelly said there was evidence that what was going on was “on a very substantial scale over a lengthy period of time”.