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Foxtel seek legal advice to stop illegal downloads

Pirates beware – you are downloading on borrowed time if Foxtel is successful in a current bid to shut down file sharing websites.

The paid subscription service confirmed today it was seeking legal advice on implementing anti-piracy legislation.

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Any legal case that goes ahead would see Foxtel need to prove facts beyond the websites content, including the impact of the sites closure and whether it is in the public interest.

If Foxtel is successful, internet service providers would be forced to block access to torrenting sites like The Pirate Bay.

But its effectiveness has been questioned, with new sites notoriously popping up to fill the void left by the blocking of these sites.

It is likely any action will be levelled at sites like The Pirate Bay, torrenting services that allow users to illegally download television shows like Game Of Thrones – to which Foxtel has exclusive rights in Australia.

“The Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill does nothing more than give copyright holders similar rights in relation to foreign websites which steal their content to those they would have if the sites were based in Australia,” a Foxtel spokesman told news.com.au.

“Because these pirate sites do not exist in Australia, rights holders are not able to take direct legal action against them.

“Similar laws exist in Europe, the UK, Singapore and many other jurisdictions.

“Foxtel and other rights holders are currently assessing what action can and should be taken to give effect to the legislation.”

Game of Thrones became the most illegally downloaded show in the world earlier this year, with Brazil topping the list at 935,990.

Australians were fourth in the world for downloading the leaked premiere episode of GoT season five illegally, with almost 150,000 pirated copies.

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