Internet piracy Act put on hold

Plans to crack down on illegal file sharing and internet piracy have been thrown into doubt after the High Court agreed yesterday to review the Digital Economy Act.

Judges granted a judicial review after a complaint was made by BT and Talk Talk, two of the largest internet providers. They argued that the legislation was rushed through Parliament and contravenes European law.

The previous government passed the controversial Bill in the last few weeks before the general election. It compelled internet service providers to cut off users that were repeatedly involved in internet piracy.

The Act was supposed to come into force in January but will now almost certainly be put on hold pending the judicial review.