The dispute between Eircom and leading record companies EMI, Sony BMG, Universal and Warner Music has been settled amicable after eight days in the High Court.
The settlement may completely change the Irish public's relationship with internet downloads, as it will result in the implementation of a new system known as "three strikes and you're out." No prizes for guessing how that will work - Eircom customers will receive two warnings, but if they continue to engage in illegal downloading from peer to peer services, they will be disconnected.
To avoid infringing upon privacy laws and adding complicated software (that apparently may not work anyway) to the network, it has been agreed that the record companies will supply eircom with the IP addresses of anyone they detect illegally downloading their music.
Your first instinct may be to change your service provider tout suite. However, as part of their side of the deal, the record companies in question have agreed to take "all necessary steps" to implement similar systems with other internet providers, reports The Irish Times.
This is the first agreement of its kind in the world, and with research suggesting that 72% of music consumers would stop downloading illegally if warned by their service provider, it may just change the face of music downloading worldwide.