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ECJ rules that ISPs may be ordered to block websites
2014-03-27 14:17:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that an ISP may be ordered to block its customers' access to a copyright-infringing website. The ECJ had been asked to interpret EU copyright law by Austria's Supreme Court, which is hearing a case between ISP UPC Telekabel Wien and film companies Constantin Film Verleih and Wega-Filmproduktionsgesellschaft. These film companies wanted the ISP to block access to the Kino.to site, but UPC Telekabel argued that it did not have any business relationship with the operators of kino.to and it was never established that its own customers acted unlawfully. The ECJ ruled that a person who makes protected subject-matter available to the public on a website without the agreement of the rightsholder is using the services of the business which provides internet access to those accessing that material. Thus, an ISP, such as UPC Telekabel, which allows its customers to access protected content made available to the public on the internet by a third party is an intermediary whose services are used to infringe a copyright.
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Category:Telecommunications