IRMA goes after UPC (Chorus NTL) and BT
After three-strikes was voted against numerous times in the EU parliament and was thoroughly rejected as unconstitutional and infringing on human rights in France, IRMA still continue on their path to damage Ireland’s reputation as a country where freedom of speech is respected.
Blackout Ireland would yet again like to stress that IRMA’s plans will not remedy the current situation of copyright infringement on the Internet. They will affect innocent internet users; have a chilling effect of freedom of speech; introduce the concept of censorship to the Irish internet, ready to be used again by other industries and, of course, have no influence on pirates who will stay one step ahead in this cat-and-mouse game.
Blackout Ireland urges UPC and BT Ireland to stand their ground and fight for the rights of their valued customers. Irish ISPs must unite in their defence against IRMA. Internet providers must remain as impartial conduits of data. IRMA must respect due legal process instead of trying to make themselves judge, jury and executioners with no respect for basic human rights such as being considered innocent until proven guilty.
Copyright law is important “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts”. When organisations like IRMA try to remove its enforcement from the courts, they weaken it. They detach it from its cause and abuse it to slow the progress of technology. It was never meant to be used to censor.
IRMA’s approach will cause significant damage without actually solving anything. A little more thought must go into a solution that protects freedom of speech, the rights of artists and technological progress.
