On May 1, the amended "anti-piracy" law came into effect in Russia. Now the authorities control almost all types of digital content - software, music, video. Only photographs are still being ignored. In addition, after the first warning, the state has the right to block the resource forever. Another unpleasant news for website owners is that now the site owners are required to leave contacts so that restless copyright holders can complain about this or that content. Until recently, the law applied only to video products, but even this was the reason for 175 complaints and the blocking of 12 sites. Now copyright holders say that they intend to write appeals to more than 700 resources, including the most popular file sharing services and torrent trackers. Some sites have demonstrated their intention to cooperate with the authorities in advance by posting special contact forms for copyright holders. Other resources, on the contrary, have announced their uncompromising position by posting detailed instructions on the main pages on how to bypass government blocking in advance. In law-abiding Europe, governments have long understood that demand creates supply. Therefore, many countries are trying to fight not only pirate sites, but also users who are accustomed to free content. In France, a few years ago, there was a rule that allowed simply "cutting off" the Internet for someone who downloaded illegal content. The so-called Hadopi Law assumed that a user who was caught downloading would be given three warnings. Then the government would disconnect the violator's Internet for a period of 2 to 12 months. However, the harsh rule did not take hold. The fact is that about 2 million French users received the first warning, that is, about 3% of the country's residents. There were many times fewer lucky ones who received the second and third "letters of happiness." Only one unlucky pirate was subjected to a "demonstrative beating." His Internet was disconnected for 15 days and he was fined 150 euros. However, when the government realized how many users would actually have to be left without the Internet, the Hadopi Law was declared unconstitutional and destructive to the infrastructure. It was repealed in 2013. However, another French regulation, the Dadvsi Law, is still in effect today. It stipulates that the owner of a pirate site or torrent tracker can get up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 300 thousand euros. This does not apply to ordinary users.
It is not easy to be a pirate in Germany. German law is intolerant of any fact of content distribution. That is, for example, online viewing of a video or listening to music even from a pirate server is not a violation. But an attempt to download a video or a song to a hard drive for subsequent distribution is already fraught with a large fine or several years in prison. Downloading a file via torrent also automatically becomes a crime, since it involves distribution of the downloaded material.
Another method of combating piracy in Germany is propaganda. There is a huge amount of "anti-piracy" advertising, which, ironically, is broadcast to law-abiding citizens - those who went to the cinema or bought a licensed disc. As a result, Germans are gradually becoming less loyal to such advertising. Accordingly, formal and informal associations like the Pirate Party are gaining more and more popularity. According to polls in 2014, the Pirate Party of Germany enjoys the support of about 13% of Germans.
The UK, like France, sends warning letters to users caught pirating. If the user continues to break the law, their Internet speed is cut or they are issued a large fine. Occasionally, the government arranges exemplary punishments, fining several violators up to 50 thousand pounds.
In the US, the fight against piracy is a little softer than in Europe. Let us recall that due to the public outcry, the 2012 SOPA and PIPA bills were never adopted. However, since the end of 2013, the US authorities have imposed the responsibility to monitor users on providers. Thus, if a user is caught pirating, he will be sent six warnings in a row. After that, the provider takes measures at its own discretion - reduces the speed or holds a preventive conversation with the violator.
