Websites that host or link to copyright infringing movies and TV shows could soon be blocked if cabinet approves a government submission to tackle online copyright infringement.

Sources tell Fairfax Media Attorney-General George Brandis and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull are canvassing a range of options put forward in response to their online copyright infringement discussion paper released in late July and intend to present cabinet with their own submission before Christmas.

Canvassing options: Work on online copyright infringement is "fairly well advanced", says Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Peter Rae

The ministers will likely recommend government put a requirement on internet service providers to forward letters about alleged copyright infringement from movie and TV studios to their customers. It's also likely they will recommend making it possible for rights holders to seek an injunction in court to require multiple internet providers block websites hosting infringing content.

This would mean access to websites such as The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents would be blocked if a rights holder successfully convinced a judge to block them. Savvy internet users could still circumvent the blocks if they used virtual private networks (VPNs) though – an issue the government and industry is fully aware of.