August 11, 2008 15:55

Music download site blocked by Italian authorities

Major downloading aid prevented in Europe

The Pirate Bay – the index website that tracks which Torrent music files are available to download on the internet at any one time - has been blocked by major internet service providers (ISPs) in Italy.

The website, which many users utilise to download music files illegally, has been censored in the country – although the website is set to launch countermeasures to make it available again to users.

A deputy public prosecutor in Italy issued an "urgent decree" that the site should be blocked, reports TorrentFreak. Since then all Italian ISPs agreed to the blocking of the website.

However, Peter Sunder, who founded the site, told TorrentFreak he was working on ways around the block. "We're working on setting up a really annoying system for them to filter," he said.

The Pirate Bay's Swedish-based servers were raided in 2006, causing it to shut down for three days. It has been condemned by prosecutors in Sweden for "promoting other people's infringements of copyright laws".