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ISPs 'should not be internet's gatekeepers'
Friday 13th July 2007, by Daniel King
Internet service providers (ISPs) should not have to "play judge and jury" by filtering out illegal content sent over their infrastructures.
Following a Belgian court ruling that internet firm Scarlet had to start blocking out copyright-infringing material, the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) said ISPs should not become the "gatekeepers" of the internet.
"Any kind of censorship of the internet has to be at the government level - ISPs are not law enforcement," the trade body said.
However, the ruling was seen as good news by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which claimed that the result backed up the belief held by the organisation that ISPs had a legal responsibility to tackle piracy.
"This is a decision that we hope will set the mould for government policy and for courts in other countries in Europe and around the world," IFPI chairman John Kennedy commented.
It has been suggested that the ruling may set a precedent for ISPs to filter their systems for illegal music downloads.
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