Sky has revealed that it blocked access to Newzbin2 earlier this week after receiving a court order.
The block came into effect on 13 December, with Sky adding that it will continue to take action to block sites when required by court.
"Moving forward, as and when clear and legally robust evidence of copyright theft is presented, we will take appropriate action in respect to site blocking, which will include complying with court orders," the company stated.
Piratical
Sky, of course, has more vested interest in moving to reduce piracy and "help content companies protect their copyright" online than other ISPs, given its fingers are stuck in pies like movie and television content production.
After BT was ordered to block Newzbin2 because it provides links to pirated music and films, the Motion Picture Association asked Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media to follow suit – all said they would follow official court orders.
We asked TalkTalk and Virgin Media if they had received orders from the court requiring them to block the site too.
"Virgin Media has not had a court order either and our position remains since the last ruling," a spokesperson for Branson's brand told us.
"The recent Newzbin2 ruling clarifies the legal process for content owners to challenge alleged copyright infringement. As a responsible ISP, we will comply with any court order addressed to us but strongly believe such deterrents need to be accompanied by compelling legal alternatives, such as our agreement with Spotify, which give consumers access to content at the right price."
Update: TalkTalk sent TechRadar the following statement, "We are not in principle against blocking provided a court decides. We have received no such order in respect of Newzbin."
Website blocking is very much the soup du jour among rights holders, despite widespread blocking plans being branded 'unworkable' by UK business secretary Vince Cable earlier this year.
