With three cases now having run to judgment under the
new website-blocking powers in section 115A of the Copyright Act
1968 (Cth), copyright owners and internet service providers have
clear guidance on the practical application of the
provision.
The Federal Court most recently made orders in Universal Music
Australia Pty Limited v TPG Internet Pty Ltd [2017] FCA 435 which
require Telstra, Optus, TPG and Foxtel (including their subsidiary
brands) to block access to a number of KickAss Torrents mirror
sites in an application brought by music studios and the copyright
collecting society, APRA.
This decision confirmed the precedent set by the landmark
judgment in Roadshow Films Pty Ltd v Telstra Corporation Ltd [2016]
FCA 1503, which considered an application brought by Roadshow Films
and a number of film and television studios, as well as an
application by pay television provider, Foxtel.
