A German court has ruled that the blocking of websites is permissible in certain circumstances.
The ruling said that internet providers are obliged to block access to websites that contain content that infringes copyright, if the owners of the pirate website cannot be contacted.
A spokesperson from the German collection society GEMA commented on the ruling, saying: “Finally we have legal clarity on the permissibility of blocking access to websites illegally offering copyrighted music works on a massive scale. This is a major step forward in the fight against Internet piracy.”
Website blocking is legal in Europe, according to the European Court of Justice, although it is down to national courts to decide the exact law in each country.
The German ruling now brings it more in line with other European countries.
