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Website blocking in Russia: recent trends
The article analyses Russian regulation and implementation of website blocking in copyright cases. In Russia, right holders can apply for preliminary website blocking injunctions which allow to restrict access to websites used to commit copyright infringements. This gives right holders time to submit a claim against the website operator or hosting provider. In addition, the Russian parliament recently introduced permanent website blocking that can be used against websites which repeatedly infringe copyright.
The article looks into the main trends related to website blocking in Russia: implementation of permanent website blocking, overblocking and lack of proportionality, difficulty to appeal website blocking decisions and the emerging practice of preventive website blocking.
When analysing the Russian developments the article puts them into context with the practices in the EU and UK.