Leading Russian Internet Companies Object To New Anti-Piracy Law

(RIA Novosti – Moscow, June 27, 2013) Russian internet companies have published an open letter against the “anti-piracy” bill, which was approved by the senators on Wednesday (26 June).

It was posted on the website of the Russian Association of Electronic Communications (RAEC).

The authors of the appeal are Mail.ru Group, Yandex, Afisha-Rambler-SUP, Google Russia, Ozon.ru, the Association of Internet Publishers, RAEC and others. “We believe the mechanisms proposed in the bill should be revised with due account of the interests of Russian media and internet businesses, on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of economic and social implications,” the appeal says.

The authors of the appeal believe that the bill would put paid to the successes of the Russian internet industry. It gives ample opportunities for abuse and dishonest competitive practices, the letter suggests. Preliminary blocking of websites for assumed violations poses a significant threat both to legitimate new services and to internet and hosting providers.

“Modern technology enables pirates to bypass blocks when they need to. For legitimate websites, however, and above all for the mass media… (ellipsis as published) this bill is a serious threat to normal operation,” the authors of the appeal say.

The appeal also emphasizes the scale of the internet industry in Russia: the internet and related ecosystems provide 4.62 per cent of Russia’s GDP, currently growing by up to 30 per cent annually in the key indicators; the Russian internet industry is ranked fourth in the world in terms of investment and first in Europe in terms of the number of internet users, and is the world’s fastest growing advertising market.

On Wednesday, the Federation Council approved the law which provides for the blocking of websites which illegally post films and television series. (Passage omitted: details)