A number of major record companies have asked the High Court to rule on data protection issues based on agreements to disclose the Internet protocol (IP) addresses of people involved in music piracy, the Irish Times reports. In a settlement last year, broadband provider Eircom agreed to implement several measures aimed at stopping illegal downloading, including disclosing the implicated IP addresses. But the issue has come before the High Court again after the data protection commissioner said that disclosing the IP addresses violates the Data Protection Act. The record companies claim, however, that privacy rights are overruled when a person commits copyright infringement. A judge is expected to rule on the issue next week.
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