It seems that the Anonymous attacks and the protest that have taken place in Ireland didn’t have much effect, the Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock revealing that the European Union (Copyright and Related Rights) Regulations 2012, also known as the Irish SOPA, became a law. The Journal reports that from now on copyright holders will have the possibility to file lawsuits against websites and even Internet service providers that host copyrighted content. Sherlock stated that before the statutory instrument had been signed it was ensured that Ireland’s High Court would have guidance from the European Court of Justice on how the measure must be implemented. Courts will have to ensure that the users’ right to protect their private data and the right to access and provide information are not violated in any way. The legislation also states that ISPs cannot be forced to monitor all the data that passes through their systems and all the measures they do apply must be “fair and proportionate” without being too expensive. The next step Irish authorities want to make is “aimed at removing barriers to innovation.” A consultation paper was launched to the Copyright Review Committee to put up for debate the measures that need to be taken in order to create opportunities for innovators. The stakeholders, which include ISPs, innovators, rights holders, consumers, and end users are expected to study the paper and share their opinions regarding the proposals. Before the Irish SOPA was signed, Anonymous hackers showed their discontent on several occasions. At the end of January they launched distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks on government sites, including the ones of the Department of Justice and Department of Finance. A week later the hacktivists gained unauthorized access to the site of the Department of Foreign Affairs and leaked the passwords utilized by the organization’s employees. via Softpedia