For the First Time In Norwegian History, Pirate Sites Are Being Blocked

“The Court considers it clear that the The Pirate Bay has made ​​material available in a manner that clearly violates the copyrights or other rights of the plaintiffs under the Copyright Act.” Oslo District Court ruling.

Earlier this week, T-Mobile made a big stink in Austria by flatly refusing to block access to the Pirate Bay. In Norway, that’s no longer an option: according to an Oslo District Courthouse ruling issued today (Thursday), all ISPs and access providers must block the TLDs (top-level domains) of a number of torrent trackers, most notably the Pirate Bay. That represents the first time that internet blocks have ever been mandated in Norway, outside of those involving child pornography.

That represents the first time that internet blocks have ever been mandated in Norway, outside of those involving child pornography.

According to the ruling, a number of major ISPs will be required to initiate the blocks, starting with the largest, Telenor. Earlier, Telenor refused to block the Pirate Bay in the absence of a clear court declaration, and battled unsuccessfully in court to prevent this outcome. In light of the ruling, the ISP is now complying. “Telenor is very pleased with the ruling,” the company offered in a statement. “For Telenor it has always been important to ensure that the legal system is being followed so that it is the courts, not the internet providers, who will decide whether a site should be shut down.”

“For Telenor it has always been important to ensure that the legal system is being followed so that it is the courts, not the internet providers, who will decide whether a site should be shut down.”

In total, six different torrent trackers and pirating sites will be blocked: the Pirate Bay, ExtraTorrent, Viooz, Prime Wire, Swefilmer, DreamfilmHD, and Movie4k. That’s a lot of pirated content, though according to Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde, none of those sites had a chance. “AFAIK noone from the sites in question was invited two speak for themelves in the norwegian court case,” Sunde tweeted.

The ruling represents a victory for a plaintiff group that includes Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and Disney, a Hollywood-heavy group that is finally making an impact. Indeed, this is part of a huge shift in European courts, with Denmark and Austria offering just two examples of the sea-change, something the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) could never achieve.

But will TLD-level blocks actually work? That’s the $60 billion dollar question, with shadowy sites like the Pirate Bay shifting locations, urls, and otherwise staying alive despite massive raids, prosecutions, court rulings, and other punitive actions spanning nearly a decade.