Virgin and TalkTalk roped into Newzbin 2 ban battle

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The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is continuing to lead the charge in asking ISPs to block access to Newzbin 2, although providers indicate they may not play ball.

BT was told to shut off access to Newzbin 2 last month after a lawsuit issued by rights holders was successful.

Now those rights holders are going after other ISPs as they look to get filesharing sites shut down.

"We have received a letter from the MPA asking whether we would object (in court) to an order for TalkTalk to block access to Newzbin," said Andre Heaney, executive director of strategy and regulation at TalkTalk.

"We are considering our position since there are some objectionable elements to the proposed injunction."

Virgin said it would like to see legal alternatives used to fight piracy.

We are considering our position since there are some objectionable elements to the proposed injunction.

"The recent Newzbin2 ruling clarifies the legal process for content owners to challenge alleged copyright infringement," a Virgin Media spokesperson said.

"As a responsible ISP, we will comply with any court order addressed to us but strongly believe such deterrents need to be accompanied by compelling legal alternatives, such as our agreement with Spotify, which give consumers access to content at the right price."

Earlier this week, music industry body BPI joined forces with a number of other record companies and Hollywood film studios to send a letter to BT asking it to block The Pirate Bay.

BT said it is looking for court orders before blocking any websites in the future.

"In line with the Newzbin judgment, a court order will be needed before any blocking could begin," a BT spokesperson said.

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