A judge in Ireland has ruled that plans by ISP Eircom to use a three-strikes system to yank file-sharers' internet connections don't violate the country's privacy laws, and can move forward. Eircom instituted the plan after it was sued by a music industry trade group for not stopping file-sharing from occurring on its network, and the extreme language used by the judge would indicate that the group's efforts to force other ISPs to play along have gotten a significant boost. The judge in the case said that copyright was "a fundamental right" under Irish law, and that "The right to be identified with and to reasonably exploit one's own original creative endeavour I regard as a human right." That's a huge hole for record labels to drive their agenda through: now they're fighting for human rights, like people trying to stop genocide, hunger, discrimination and other noble pursuits. U2 manager Paul McGuinness, an outspoken supporter of three-strikes rules, is understandably thrilled. But he still can't explain how kicking people off the internet -- and pissing off customers -- is a viable business model.