Identifying copyright infringers by an IP address isn't accurate and closing down internet connections isn't a proportionate measure. Thus said Irish ISP Entanet in response to U2 manager Paul McGuinness' disappointment about the inability to enforce graduate response measures in Ireland.

McGuiness - who has been involved in the copyright debate before - indicated that the ruling is "extremely bad for the international reputation of Ireland as a jurisdiction with appropriate legal protection for all kinds of Intellectual Property and copyright generally."

Entanet thinks it naïve of McGuinness to say that fast internet connections are especially (mis)used for illegal P2P traffic. “Most broadband customers want to be better able to take advantage of ‘legal’ technologies such as online gaming, YouTube, iPlayer, iTunes, VoIP and a vast array of business oriented services that are currently available.”

“We also have ongoing concerns over the way in which alleged infringers are identified – by IP address – as they can be easily spoofed and hacked,” one of Entanets' managers added.

The Irish Court ruled earlier this month that - although piracy is "destructive" for creative industries - the legislation that allows illegal downloaders to be closed off from the internet is not enforceable in Ireland.

Source: ZeroPaid