Australian judge orders names and addresses of 4,700 alleged Internet pirates be released

Internet providers have lost an Australian court battle to keep secret the names of Internet users suspected of illegally downloading Hollywood movie "Dallas Buyers Club" over file-sharing networks.

The Federal Court ruling on Tuesday is a landmark win for copyright holders in a country which has a reputation for being among of world's most prolific Internet pirates.

Justice Nye Perram granted a discovery order sought by the 2013 movie's copyright owner Dallas Buyers Club LLC to access names and home addresses of more than 4,700 Australian Internet account holders.

Detailed orders will be thrashed out when the case returns to court on April 21.

It is not clear whether the Internet service providers will appeal the decision before the Full Bench of the Federal Court.