The Paris Civil Court has ordered major French internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to, and French search engines to not return results for, specific websites containing copyright-infringing films.

Nomos reports that the claimants, film producers’ and distributors’ unions, deliberately chose to bring a claim not against the illegal download and streaming sites, but rather against the intermediaries.

The court made use of its power to order summarily that any person contributing to an infringement remedy it by taking appropriate measures to prevent or stop the infringement. Given the innovative nature of the process, the judgment – which couldhave been issued by a single judge – was handed down by a panel comprising three vice presidents of the court, lending it greater weight.