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25 September 2013Copyright

Russia considers widening piracy law

A Russian law that blocks websites offering pirated TV shows and movies could be amended to cover other forms of copyright, according to local reports.

The Moscow Times claims politician Robert Schlegel has tabled an amendment that would allow authorities to block sites containing pirated music, computer software and literature.

Introduced on August 1, the law allows rights owners to ask the Moscow City Court to block Internet sites suspected of hosting pirated content. About 40 orders have been processed so far.

Service providers can be placed on a blacklist if they fail to comply with blocking orders.

When the drafts were submitted earlier this year, the law did cover all forms of copyright, but it was later limited to TV and movie shows.

Other rights holders have continued pushing for protection of their copyright, said Igor Motsnyi, partner of Motsnyi Legal Services in Russia, probably resulting in the latest proposal.

Although “personally, we haven’t yet dealt with this law”, Motsnyi said, “colleagues say the rights holders are saying it is working and the Internet is still working – a major concern was that providers would be overwhelmed by complaints and they would interfere with their work”.

Internet companies have largely opposed having to block websites, while there has been considerable opposition in general. In an unusual attempt to stall the law, Russian Internet activists applied to form their own religion to claim that anti-piracy measures are offensive to the church’s key beliefs.

If the law is amended, Motsnyi said, Internet companies are likely to lobby against the changes, “but it depends on the text” of the law.

"In my view, the effect of the new law will depend on how well the law is drafted and how clear it is."

He added: “I believe that recent developments in the Russian IP system will bring more examples of cooperation and deals between the owners and Russian Internet businesses, similar to the deal between VKontakte and Muso.”

In that deal, online anti-piracy company Muso struck a deal with Russian social network VK.com to scan the site for illegal downloads.

If it votes in favour of amending the anti-piracy law, Russia’s parliament is expected to approve the changes by the end of this year.

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