MUMBAI: In what seems to be another crackdown on digital piracy across the globe, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is seeking court orders to block three file-sharing sites Fenopy, H33t and Kickass Torrents.

The three sites will face the same sanctions previously imposed on Newzbin2 and The Pirate Bay, with the BPI asking ISPs to block access to those sites over piracy concerns.

The ISPs have agreed to block the sites, but only with a court order. The case against the three domains is expected to be heard at the Chancery Division of the High Court this week.

BPI director of communications Adam Liversage said, “We are seeking court orders requiring ISPs to block access to three infringing websites. The BPI wants the UK ISPs BT, Sky, Virgin Media, O2, Everything Everywhere and TalkTalk to block access to these sites. The matter is currently being considered by the court and it is not appropriate to comment further at this point.”

BPI’s bid to get court orders to block the torrent sites follows a ruling by the British High Court ordering UK ISPs to block access to The Pirate Bay in April last year. The ISPs were asked to block access voluntarily, but refused without court orders.

The move has attracted criticism from consumer rights organization, Open Rights Group (ORG), who believes the legal procedure involved in the cases lacks transparency, especially as it allows the blacklist to be widened without further legal process.

As per agency reports,  ORG is now planning to start influencing the legal process by hiring a legal officer to ensure user rights are adequately represented in the future.