DNS Provider Quad9 Sees Piracy Blocking Orders as "Existential Threat"
13 days ago
- #copyright-enforcement
- #internet-censorship
- #dns-blocking
- Paris Judicial Court ordered Google, Cloudflare, and Cisco to block pirate sports streaming sites in May 2024.
- Additional rightsholders like DAZN and beIN joined the action, targeting more DNS providers such as Quad9 and Vercel.
- Quad9, a small Swiss non-profit, sees these legal battles as an existential threat, unlike billion-dollar companies.
- Quad9 lacks financial resources to fight legal battles, unlike Google and Cloudflare, and skipped a recent case.
- Copyright holders are increasingly targeting neutral intermediaries (ISPs, VPNs, DNS providers) instead of direct infringers.
- Cisco left France in response to blocking efforts, while Quad9 had to apply French blocks globally.
- Quad9 raises critical questions about internet infrastructure liability, jurisdiction, and censorship risks.
- Quad9 warns of a less open, private, and more centralized internet dominated by corporations.