Pirate Site Blocking Is Legally Impossible in Bulgaria, Supreme Court Ruled (torrentfreak.com)

Article summary

Bulgaria's Supreme Court has ruled that civil site blocking is legally impossible under current national law, as the country failed to properly transpose EU directives that authorize blocking injunctions. This decision is a setback for rightsholders, including the Bulgarian Association of Music Producers, which had sought to block access to pirate sites such as The Pirate Bay and Zamunda. The court found that Bulgarian lawmakers must address the shortcomings in the current copyright legislation before site blocking orders can be granted. The ruling has significant implications for copyright enforcement in Bulgaria.

Main themes

• Pirate site blocking
• Bulgarian copyright law
• EU directives
• Copyright enforcement
• Internet freedom

What commenters say

• The Bulgarian government's focus on piracy is misguided and should be shifted to more pressing cybercrimes that affect citizens.
• The shutdown of popular torrent sites has had a significant impact on users who relied on them for access to content.
• The ruling highlights the importance of properly implementing EU directives to ensure effective copyright enforcement.
• Some users are nostalgic for the days of unrestricted access to pirate sites and are disappointed by their closure.
• The use of seed boxes and other methods to access pirate content is a common practice among some users.
• The Bulgarian government's inability to block pirate sites is seen as a failure to protect the rights of content creators.