TL;DR
Rightsholders have pushed for site blocking orders without accountability for overblocking, leading to issues for users. EuroISPA, representing over 3,300 European ISPs, is urging the EU Commission to hold rightsholders responsible for overblocking damages.
✦ Why It Matters
Engineers and researchers should consider the implications of accountability in content blocking systems to improve user access and rights.
Key Takeaways
Full Summary
Rightsholders in Europe have advocated for broader site blocking orders to combat piracy, but this has resulted in overblocking, where legitimate sites are mistakenly blocked. EuroISPA, which represents over 3,300 internet service providers across Europe, is now calling on the EU Commission to change regulations to hold rightsholders accountable for the negative impacts of overblocking.
In their recent submission regarding the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive, EuroISPA emphasized that the current measures against piracy, particularly in countries like Italy and Spain, have not effectively reduced piracy rates. The Commission's own evaluation of the 2023 Recommendation on combating piracy found that these measures had “limited positive effects.”
As a result, the concerns of ISPs regarding the disproportionate nature of site blocking have intensified. This situation raises questions about the balance between protecting intellectual property and ensuring user access to legitimate content.
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