French ISPs fight requirement to block illegal betting sites

Seven French ISPs have criticised in court the inefficiency of a law requiring them to block unlicensed online gambling operators hosted abroad, specifically FiveDimes, based in Costa Rica and whose servers are hosted by that country's incumbent operator, ICE. La Tribune reports that the operators also took issue with a EUR 10,000 daily fine imposed on them by online betting regulator Arjel in their appearance at the Paris appeal court, the Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI). Referring to an anti-semitic website, Aaargh, that ISPs agreed to block, SFR's lawyer stated that it is nevertheless still possible for internet users to access it at 12 or 13 different addresses. Orange's lawyer said it was logical and technically more realistic for the courts to act against hosting service providers than internet access providers. All of the defendants said they were not opposing Arjel and nor seeking to prevent the law from being enforced. Auchan Telecom asked for a definitive ruling to be handed down concerning the ISPs' appeal of an August 2010 TGI decision to block another illegal betting site, StanJames, which eventually complied with Arjel's demands and now prevents internet users in France from using the service.