Formation of a Working Group for Localization on the “GosTech” Platform
In a significant move, a working group has been established under the Ministry of Digital Development to localize the largest torrent catalog, The Pirate Bay, on the “GosTech” platform. This initiative brings together representatives from government bodies, industry stakeholders, and copyright associations, all aimed at navigating the complexities of digital content access in Russia.
Leading this group will be a vice-premier responsible for overseeing digital transformation or cultural initiatives. The formation of this group comes in response to the challenges faced by Russian citizens since 2022, who have found themselves cut off from new releases in foreign cinema, music, and the gaming industry. An anonymous source from the Ministry of Culture noted that while this situation has spurred the growth of domestic creative industries, a complete replacement of entertainment content from unfriendly nations remains unachievable.
The introduction of “Gosbukhata” is expected to provide Russian audiences with access to both international and domestic film industry releases. Reports indicate that several local film companies and television channels, including ORT, CTC, TV-3, RenTV, and Spas, have expressed readiness to upload their content to torrent platforms. Additionally, content producers from friendly countries such as Turkey, Iran, and North Korea are also considering participation.
However, domestic filmmakers have raised concerns regarding the collection of fees from users accessing their content. According to Mikhailov, the chairman of the All-Russian Copyright Holders Union, a draft of a new edition of the Presidential Decree No. 430, dated May 20, 2024, has already been prepared. This draft outlines the process for acquiring rights to intellectual property from copyright holders in unfriendly countries.
As per the proposed regulations, users of torrent software will be required to register with Roskomnadzor and pay an annual fee ranging from 500 to 1000 rubles for unlimited access to “Gosbukhata.” The collection of these fees and their distribution among copyright holders will be managed by the union led by Mikhailov.
In related news, it was previously reported that VK plans to launch a domestic peer-to-peer multimedia content exchange platform named “RuMul” by 2025. However, the project has yet to progress beyond the sigma-testing phase.
