Moscow Court Blocks Access to Online Content Under New Anti-Piracy Law

MOSCOW -- In the first verdict under Russia’s recently enacted anti-piracy legislation, a Moscow court has blocked access to several TV series illegally offered for viewing by local web sites.

The court has ruled in favor of the rights holder, the online video service Now.ru, controlled by Gazprom Media, a media wing of the natural gas giant Gazprom. Under the verdict, the websites Rutor.org and Turbofilm.tv are supposed to block access to several popular TV series, including Interny (Interns) and Univer. Novaya Obshchaga (University. New Dorm).

In accordance with the new law, Now.ru initially filed a complaint, which led to a temporary blocking of the websites. The opportunity for rights holders to request blocking of allegedly illegal content before a court verdict is made, is one of the new law’s most prominent features.

Under the law, if the owners of Rutor.org and Turbofilm.tv don’t comply with the verdict and continue to provide access to the pirated material, they face a complete shutdown.