Irish ISP in Pirate Bay block mistake

James Delahunty
24 Oct 2012 19:40

UPC accidentally blocks Pirate Bay.
The Internet Service Provider (ISP) has refused to block access to piracy websites or implement three strikes policies in Ireland, winning court actions brought against it by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) in 2010. Ireland's largest ISP, Eircom, already blocks access to the BitTorrent tracker.

However, UPC was asked to clarify its position this week after access to the Pirate Bay seemed to be blocked, displaying a message from the ISP instead.

The Pirate Bay has been blocked. The website you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Further to a request from Irma, the Irish courts have ordered UPC to block access to The Pirate Bay website."

However, access to the Pirate Bay was restored later, and UPC made a statement that seemed to contradict its own notice. "UPC Ireland's position has not changed. UPC is not required by any court or authority to block The Pirate Bay and does not intend to voluntarily block The Pirate Bay," the statement reads.

"Periodically testing is carried out across our European network, which may have been observed by Irish customers."