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European ISPs Want Rightsholders Held Accountable for Overblocking Damage
24 days ago
- EuroISPA warns that site blocking measures are becoming disproportionate and extreme in some EU countries, citing limited positive effects from previous anti-piracy efforts.
- The European Commission should prioritize enforcing existing laws rather than introducing new obligations, as overblocking incidents are causing collateral damage to legitimate services and users.
- Site blocking orders have expanded to DNS resolvers and VPN providers, which lack direct links to infringing content and face technical challenges in implementing geographic blocks.
- Examples of overblocking include Italy's Piracy Shield affecting over 7,700 domains, Spain's measures disrupting banking apps and payment platforms, and Cisco withdrawing services in France and Belgium due to blocking demands.
- EuroISPA calls for rightsholders to be held accountable for overblocking damage under existing EU directives and criticizes rapid blocking requirements that disproportionately burden smaller providers.
Pirate Site Blocking Is Legally Impossible in Bulgaria, Supreme Court Ruled
13 days ago
- Bulgaria considered blocking pirate sites nearly 20 years ago, with an initial attempt to block ArenaBG in 2007 sparking protests and being withdrawn.
- In 2023, a Sofia court ordered ISPs to block The Pirate Bay and Zamunda, but the ISPs appealed and won at the Supreme Court in 2024, citing lack of national laws for blocking injunctions.
- The Supreme Court ruled that current Bulgarian copyright law doesn't allow site blocking via civil cases, requiring new legislation to address EU directive gaps.
- BAMP responded to the EU, urging full implementation of existing directives before new laws, highlighting the legislative deficiency in Bulgaria.
- Despite the blocking setback, Bulgaria made anti-piracy progress by shutting down major trackers like ArenaBG with U.S. help, leading to removal from the U.S. Watch List.
- Rightsholders may sue Bulgaria for damages over failed EU implementation, and lawmakers are working on a copyright act amendment since 2022, yet unapproved.
Google Opposes Site Blocking in Europe as US Piracy Blocking Plans Gain Momentum
12 days ago
- Google criticizes site blocking measures in the EU, citing ineffectiveness, overblocking, and harm to legitimate services.
- Google emphasizes that blocking DNS resolvers, IP addresses, and VPNs is disproportionate and easily circumvented, while advocating for better legal alternatives to combat piracy.
- U.S. lawmakers are advancing site blocking legislation, with bipartisan negotiations underway, but Google has not publicly commented on U.S. plans.
Canada's 'Expanded Scope' Blocking Order Targets Existing and Future Pirate Site
10 hours ago
- Canadian site blocking has evolved from targeting fixed domain names to allowing updates without new court orders.
- A new Federal Court order expands blocking to cover any 'similarly infringing platforms' under different brands, not just copycats.
- Rightsholders can add new pirate sites using a simplified procedure without court approval, unless an ISP objects within five business days.
- The order divides targets into six IPTV subscription services and seven streaming sites, with an initial blocklist of 13 domains and 5 subdomains.
- A judicial guardrail limits the order to the applicants' specific copyrighted works, preventing future acquisitions from being used without court approval.
- Critics like TekSavvy argue site blocking violates net neutrality and common carriage principles, viewing it as a slippery slope.

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#site blocking

European ISPs Want Rightsholders Held Accountable for Overblocking Damage

Pirate Site Blocking Is Legally Impossible in Bulgaria, Supreme Court Ruled

Google Opposes Site Blocking in Europe as US Piracy Blocking Plans Gain Momentum

Canada's 'Expanded Scope' Blocking Order Targets Existing and Future Pirate Site