Russia?s public seeks reconsideration of controversial anti-piracy law

The new Russian law enabling copyright holders to have infringing Internet content blocked in court came into effect earlier this month, but public initiatives may make the legislators reconsider.

The new Russian law enabling copyright holders to have infringing Internet content blocked in court came into effect earlier this month, but public initiatives may make the legislators reconsider. Anti-piracy law: Internet sector furious, analysts divided The new Russian legislation intended to stop online piracy came into effect on August 1. A long-awaited victory for copyright holders, the law facilitates the prosecution of website owners violating intellectual property rights and enables courts to issue warrants to block websites that violate copyright laws if illegal content is not removed within 24 hours. As East-West Digital News, the international resource on Russian digital industries, reported last week, the legislation currently only applies to video content, but the lawmakers may consider extending its provisions to music later this year. Some of the country?s leading Internet players sharply criticized the bill long before it was signed into law, trying in vain to persuade the legislators to consider rewording it...