Blocking Injunctions
Jaani Riordan · 2016
Abstract A blocking injunction is an order requiring an internet intermediary to implement technical measures directed at preventing or disabling access to a specified internet location. The essential purpose of such an order is to restrict the ability of individuals located in a particular jurisdiction to access or download material the subject of the order using the respondent’s service. Although theoretically available against any service provider, blocking injunctions are most commonly sought against ISPs, who possess a comparatively high degree of control at the network layer and may operate systems that can drop or re-route packets based on criteria including the destination of a request. Blocking injunctions require the respondent to adopt these technical measures in an attempt to prevent others from using its service to infringe the applicant’s rights. Section 2 provides an overview of the most common technical measures employed by ISPs.