Background
Roadshow Films, Disney, and other film and television rights holders previously obtained orders requiring Australian internet service providers—including Telstra, Optus, TPG, Vodafone, and related companies—to block access to a long list of overseas websites that facilitate copyright infringement. The orders were made under section 115A of Australia’s Copyright Act 1968, which gives the Federal Court power to require network providers to disable access to online locations whose primary purpose or effect is copyright infringement.
The original blocking orders dated from September 2020 and had been amended several times as piracy sites changed domains, URLs, and internet addresses. They were due to expire on September 28, 2026. The rights holders asked the court to extend them for another five years and supplied an updated schedule identifying the current domains and internet protocol addresses used by the targeted services. No respondent opposed the application.
The Court’s Holding
Justice Cheeseman extended the site-blocking orders for five years, through September 28, 2031. The court found that the statutory requirements remained satisfied and that the orders continued to serve their intended purpose. The targeted online locations were still being used to facilitate large-scale access to films and television programs without authorization, while the existing variation procedure allowed the rights holders to update technical details as operators moved between domains and addresses.
The court emphasized that the extension did not create a new and broader remedy. It continued the established orders and replaced their technical schedule with a current annexure. That approach matters because piracy services routinely migrate to new domains or hosting infrastructure. A blocking order tied permanently to stale addresses would quickly lose practical value, while a controlled variation mechanism lets the injunction follow the same identified online locations without requiring an entirely new lawsuit for every technical change.
The court made no order as to costs. Its orders therefore preserved the existing blocking framework, refreshed the covered locations, and avoided shifting costs between the applicants and the network providers.
Key Takeaways
- Australian copyright owners can obtain long-running site-blocking relief when infringing services remain active and the statutory criteria continue to be met.
- A court-approved update process can keep an injunction effective even when piracy sites change domains, URLs, or internet addresses.
- The five-year extension reflects the court’s view that blocking remained useful and proportionate despite the technical evolution of the targeted services.
- Internet service providers did not oppose the extension, allowing the application to be determined on the papers.
Why It Matters
The decision shows how Australia’s site-blocking regime has developed from one-time orders into continuing enforcement infrastructure. For film studios and other copyright owners, the practical problem is rarely identifying a single infringing domain; it is keeping pace as the same service reappears at new addresses. By extending the orders and accepting an updated schedule, the court preserved a remedy designed to respond to that churn.
For network providers and online platforms, the ruling also illustrates the importance of clear limits and a supervised variation process. The orders target identified locations and operate under a statutory framework, rather than giving rights holders unrestricted authority to demand blocks. The decision therefore balances effective copyright enforcement with a structured judicial mechanism for maintaining and updating the injunction.