PRESS: Internet cos oppose idea to block pirate sites without court

MOSCOW, Apr 4 (PRIME) -- The Russian Association for Electronic Communications (RAEC) has sent a letter to Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, the parliament’s lower house, with a protest against a proposal to block pirate Web sites without a court decision, business daily Vedomosti reported on Tuesday.

“We want deputies to know our position on the matter prior to the bill being submitted to the State Duma,” the RAEC’s Director Sergei Plugotarenko said.

The out-of-court order is dangerous because a decision is made by an administrative body, which, unlike the court, is not independent, according to the association, comprising over 100 Internet companies, including Mail.Ru Group, Google, eBay, Ozon, Rambler & Co and Microsoft.

Owners of the Web site are not involved in the process, and they cannot use their right for protection secured by the constitution. The RAEC thinks that the initiative creates a worrisome precedent, as such an order is offered to be applied to economic disputes, rather than to safeguard rights and liberties of people or security of the state.

Mass media earlier reported that the Culture Ministry is crafting a bill on the protection of Russia-made movies in the Internet through a tougher mechanism of blocking Web sites.

End