In response to the BPI's call to block three websites before Christmas, Jim Killock from the Open Rights Group said:"Web blocking is an extreme response. The orders are often indefinite and open ended, and will be blocking legitimate uses. The BPI and the courts need to slow down and be very careful about this approach.

"The BPI seem to be trying to speed things up and that is not good. It will lead to carelessness and unneeded harms.

"As an approach, censorship is a bad idea. It leads to more censorship, and is unlikely to solve the problem it seeks to address.

"Digital music is going through a period of real growth because it is trying to innovate: this is a much more effective approach than copyright crackdowns."

According to the IFPI, digital album sales in the UK were up 27% in 2011. See also the Telegraph.