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The far-reaching demands of an anti-piracy group working on behalf of the movie industry have been rejected by a judge. Federazione Anti-Pirateria Audiovisiva wanted ISP Telecom Italia to take unprecedented action against file-sharing subscribers, but the court decided that the ISP couldn’t be held responsible for the actions of its customers.

After failing to bring online piracy under control by other methods, the music and movie industries have been increasingly turning to the courts to force ISPs into action against their own customers.

In Italy, movie anti-piracy group Fapav (Federazione Anti-Pirateria Audiovisiva) went to court in an attempt to compel Italy’s largest ISP, Telecom Italia, to take

The European Parliament has approved the controversial Telecoms Package, which means that internet users can be disconnected for illegal file-sharing if their guilt can be proved.

The new laws were scheduled to be passed months ago but had been held up by attempts by some countries to enshrine internet access as a “human right” within the regulation. That would have impeded plans by the French and UK governments to sever illegal file-sharers’ internet connections.

Since European ministers reached a compromise this month, the law has been passed and national regulators have until May next year to implement the regulation.

Is Sweden, the only country to have sent a member of the Pirate Party to the European Parliament, finally giving up its swashbuckling ways?
When Sweden's IPRED anti-piracy law went into effect earlier this year, Internet traffic across the country plummeted overnight—a sign that P2P users, fearing exposure at last, were abandoning their existing copyright infringement tools. The Pirate Bay defendants were found guilty by a Swedish court earlier this year, and the site's ISP are now under assault by the music and movie industries.

The UK government has announced plans to shakeup the UK online arena with a crackdown on those convicted of illegal downloads, a move which would see their broadband limited if they continue to offend after being warned. This is an issue which has been ongoing for some time and is central to the UK music industry where allegedly billions upon billions of pounds are being lost due to illegal file sharing and music piracy.