Court backs protection for digital creators

A judge rejected BT and TalkTalk claims that the Digital Economy Act 2010 was seriously flawed and “incompatible” with European law.

Supporters of the new laws said they were “delighted” and the ruling would be a major boost to people working in the creative industries whose livelihoods were being put at risk because their output was being stolen “on a daily basis”.

BT and TalkTalk, two of the UK’s largest internet service providers (ISPs), argued that measures introduced under the Act would unlawfully “impact on the privacy and free expression rights” of consumers. They also challenged the legality of the statutory order, currently before Parliament in draft form, designed to regulate sharing the costs of implementing the new legislation.