Cable TV and internet giant UPC has dismissed reports that it plans to block users of torrent sharing site The Pirate Bay and suggested that Irish users who got notices warning the site had been blocked following a court order had stumbled across tests on its European network.

This morning, TorrentFreak reported that UPC customers in Ireland who tried to access The Pirate Bay website got a notice telling them that The Pirate Bay was no longer accessible and had been blocked following a court order.

The news was of particular surprise, considering UPC’s staunch defence against ‘three strikes’ remedies in cases taken against it by the big four record companies in Ireland.

UPC’s lonely defence was based on the principle that the record companies were seeking it to enact ‘three strikes’ remedies based on an agreement between the labels and Eircom and that there were no laws requiring UPC to do so.

Following this, the Government of Ireland signed a controversial statutory instrument earlier this year – dubbed ‘Ireland’s SOPA’ – to plug a loophole in Ireland’s copyright laws that prevented the labels from successfully suing UPC.

It is feared that the instrument will put ISPs at the mercy of the Irish courts in disputes over illegal downloads and result in unpopular three-strikes rulings.

If anything, UPC appears to be continuing its crusade.

It replied to Siliconrepublic.com’s questions with a statement: “UPC Ireland’s position has not changed.

“UPC is not required by any court or authority to block The Pirate Bay and does not intend to voluntarily block The Pirate Bay.

“Periodically, testing is carried out across our European network which have been observed by Irish customers,” the company said by way of an explanation for the notice that may have been seen by users in Ireland.