BT, TalkTalk refused appeal against Digital Economy Act

BT And TalkTalk won't get another day in court against the Digital Economy Act, after the telcos were denied permission to appeal against the failure of their legal challenge to the Act earlier this year.

"I can confirm that we've been refused permission to appeal the JR [judicial review] judgment by the Court of Appeal. We are now considering our position," a BT spokesman told The Register.

The two companies had sought leave to appeal on four points relating to their challenge to the Digital Economy Act, which seeks to stamp out unlawful file-sharing, after their legal gambit against it collapsed in April.

BT and TalkTalk had tried to derail certain copyright infringement portions of the DEA, but their legal effort was thrown out by the High Court in London, with judges dismissing arguments that the provisions designed to police their networks were unfair.

Last week a Liberal Democrat MP separately demanded a repeal of the Digital Economy Act having tabled an early day motion in Parliament, which has gained just 13 signatures from across the political spectrum so far.

Julian Huppert wants the UK government to debate the issue in the House of Commons. The Lib Dem MP has made similar demands in the past about the DEA - which was rushed through the Palace of Westminster during the final days of the previous Labour government. ®