Film studios fight BT over online piracy

Hollywood's biggest film studios have launched a battle in the High Court in London against online piracy after demanding that BT cut off access to a website that offers illegal versions of The King's Speech.

Paramount Pictures Corporation, 20th Century Fox and Disney Enterprises launched the proceedings, which are opposed by BT, the UK's largest internet provider. The studios want BT to block access to Newzbin 2, which has 700,000 members and is carrying out copyright infringement on a "grand scale", the court heard. The site hosts 75 illegal versions of the Oscar-winning film.

The test case, brought on behalf of all members of the Motion Picture Association of America, could produce a landmark ruling, enabling studios to force offending sites offline.

The court is expected to make a ruling this week.