BT, TalkTalk Seeking Judicial Review Of Digital Economy Act

8th Jul 2010 09:40

By Lilly Vitorovich Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--U.K. internet service providers BT Group PLC (BT.A.LN) and TalkTalk Telecom Group PLC (TALK.LN) are seeking a judicial review of the Digital Economy Act, which was rushed through parliament by the previous Labour government before the general election. The parties, which have filed legal papers with the High Court in the U.K., believe that provisions in the Act, aimed at the prevention of online copyright infringement, received "insufficient scrutiny before being rushed through into law at the tail end of the last Parliament." As well as having procedural concerns, BT and TalkTalk believe the measures proposed to try to prevent online copyright infringement could harm citizens as well as impact both companies. As a result, they are seeking clarity from the High Court before they, and others, are asked to implement the Act. "It's disappointing that we feel the need to take action but we feel we have no choice. We have to do this for our customers who otherwise run the risk of being treated unfairly," BT Retail Chief Executive Gavin Patterson said in a statement. "Our dispute is not with the current government but with the previous administration which pushed this through without due process. We need clarity about whether this legislation is compatible with important EU laws," he added. The new coalition government was formed by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties in May. -By Lilly Vitorovich, Dow Jones Newswires; 44-0-207 842 9290; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 08, 2010 04:40 ET (08:40 GMT)