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Irish ISP Eircom and four major record labels always in search for deals to eradicate pirates, (whose names you’d probably guess anyway) Warner, Sony BMG, EMI and Universal signed an agreement to introduce a 'three strikes and you’re out' rule against illegal file sharers. The deal will also have Eircom working with data provided by the music companies so as to legally nail online pirates more efficiently. The deal was inked at Court No 7 in Dublin’s High Court.

In 2008, the four record labels wanted Eircom to install filtering software (such as Audible Magic) and even pushed forward legal proceedings against the ISP.

Other details concerning the agreement were given:
“Effectively, a third party will be hired by the labels to find out who are the largest illegal P2P downloaders," said a spokesman for Eircom. "They will then come to us with the IP addresses of the suspected parties."

“We won’t reveal the identities of the users, but we will contact them and if they fail to comply we will follow the process agreed with the music industry. Currently the industry pursues these individuals in the court. We will now begin a three-step process that will begin with the issuing of a warning."

The record labels seem determined to pull in their backyard other ISPs as well though some of them have already stated their lack of enthusiasm regarding such a deal:

"While we obviously do not condone illegal downloading or any illegality on or over the Internet, we firmly disapprove of any draconian measures that would compromise the privacy, speed or services offered to broadband users. We do not need measures to further impede the development of next generation broadband in Ireland,” said Ronan Lupton, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators (ALTO). Amen to that!