Russia has strengthened its anti-piracy laws. The laws have now been updated and cover piracy of books, software and music. The laws were first introduced in 2013 and enable authorities to demand internet companies cut off access to piracy sites. They only covered sites sharing movies and TV shows before the changes were made. However, they still don’t cover images.
Sites accused of hosting media illegally are now given just 72 hours to respond before a band is implemented. No court order is needed to close down sites. Officials can respond to complaints from copyright holders, with those accused of hosting content illegally being given the chance to defend themselves in court. If two cases are lost, their sites will be added to the block list.
Statistics say that complaints about 175 different sites were received during the twelve months after the law was first put in place, with 12 sites being banned. The law has already forced some sites to change the way they operate, with one social network no longer allowing users to stream music that they had uploaded to the site. The country last year told popular bloggers whose work is read by more than 3,000 people every day that they must register with regulators and follow guidelines on what they were permitted to post.
