The United Kingdom’s High Court of Justice issued an “omnibus” order that streamlines the process for blocking access to proven piracy services when they switch names or website domains to evade court orders.
It marks a practical advance in the fight against digital piracy as the online piracy ecosystem becomes more automated and increasingly agile. For instance, AI tools are increasingly used to generate domains, websites, and evasive infrastructure at scale.
A submission to WIPO by a representative of the MPA (linked below) notes that more than 60 countries have legal systems that allow for administrative and/or judicial site blocking procedures, and that blocking by Internet service providers alone yields an average reduction in visits to targeted piracy websites of 89 per cent – and was even higher in Italy, France, Brazil, South Korea and India in 2024.
The thinking behind the UK order
The MPA’s submission to WIPO describes how operators often hide behind fictitious or stolen identities and do not comply with cease-and- desist letters. Meanwhile, hosting servers are often untraceable, shielded by anonymization techniques or by the virtue of being located in countries where legal enforcement is extremely difficult.
In a piracy case in India, the Delhi High Court noted that “(T)oday it has become increasingly easy and convenient for infringers to create alpha-numeric/mirror/redirect variants of infringing websites, and by the time impleadment and extension of relief(s) can take place, certain time-sensitive infringing activities like live streaming of sporting events have already commenced illegally and by the time the effected party like the plaintiff approaches this Court, it is too late”
Effective countermeasures
Collaboration with all intermediaries in the piracy chain is essential, said the MPA; as each can intervene effectively within their areas of competence and with the most appropriate measures. This approach enhances the efficiency and reach of blocking orders, while reducing circumvention. Key intermediaries include search engines, domain registrars, content delivery networks, VPNs and alternative DNS services. Pirates also exploit reverse proxy server and CDN services.
Effective countermeasures include domain suspension, CDN blocking, de-listing from search engines, process automation to enforce blocking, legal decisions, and court orders.
Why it matters
The MPA submission to WIPO finds that by involving a broad range of intermediaries in blocking procedures, anti-piracy measures are more effective and efforts by infringers to circumvent detection and takedown are reduced. Also, automated solutions between rights holders and relevant intermediaries, including ISPs, should be leveraged to address the myriad circumvention tactics deployed by infringing sites.
When an illicit domain or brand is blocked or disrupted, piracy operators often respond by quickly moving to new domains, copycat services, or rebranded websites. That constant “hopping” undermines enforcement and forces rightsholders, courts and intermediaries into repetitive processes.
“This order … affirms that judicial site blocking is a vital tool to protect creators and consumers from piracy-related harms while also supporting a well-functioning internet and defending democratic values,” said Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association. “(E)nforcement must adapt to the threats posed by piracy operators, as enforcement frameworks need to be flexible and efficient enough to respond to the evolving piracy landscape,” she said.
Further reading
Involvement of intermediary services in site blocking: How lawmakers, courts, and institutions are shaping the role of intermediaries in addressing online copyright piracy. Contribution to Advisory Committee on Enforcement, Geneva, June 2-4, 2026. Prepared by Mr. Okke Delfos Visser, Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel, International, Motion Picture Association, Brussels, Belgium. Published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
MPA applauds UK high court for important judicial site blocking decision in evolving fight against digital piracy. Press release. May 22, 2026. Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)
