МОСКВА, 18 фев — РАПСИ. The Moscow City Court has mandated that the administrator of a website pay a penalty of 600,000 rubles for hosting pirated copies of popular television series, including “Univer,” “Fizruk,” and “Devushki s Makarovym.” This ruling was made public following a review by RAPS, which noted that the complaint for blocking the pirated content was filed by the rights holder.
Legal Findings and Expert Testimony
The court’s decision highlighted that, in addition to the series, the defendant’s website featured advertising banners and announcements aimed at generating revenue based on visitor traffic. The ruling stated, “Due to the presence of advertisements, the website owner enjoys significant profitability, as they engage in active activities related to the creation and monetization of websites on the Internet.”
To assess the case, the court enlisted the expertise of an information protection specialist, who concluded that the website’s operations constituted piracy, specifically “intentional piratical activity.” Users were reportedly offered the option to download pirated copies via torrent, with the expert noting, “Torrent trackers provide the means to download objects protected by copyright and related rights. When a torrent file is downloaded onto a computer, it remains permanently on that storage device and is accessible to the user. Therefore, torrent trackers pose a greater risk than conventional pirate sites.”
Consequences and Appeals
As a result of the court’s findings, not only was the disputed content blocked, but the website administrator was also ordered to pay 600,000 rubles in damages for infringing upon exclusive rights, along with an additional 11,000 rubles in court fees.
The administrator attempted to contest this ruling; however, he missed the deadline for filing an appeal. He claimed that he received the reasoned decision late by mail and, due to financial difficulties, was unable to promptly secure the funds necessary for the court fee associated with the appeal. Although the court allowed him to restore the missed procedural deadline, the ruling ultimately remained in effect, as noted in the court materials.
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