A request filled by the Greek Copyright Protection Society (AEPI) for internet providers to block access to torrent files has been rejected by the Greek courts. According to the court ruling, the AEPI request is deemed excessive in its scope and violates the principle of proportionality, as it would not only block potentially illegal activities, but also many legitimate practices.
Furthermore the courts argued that the measures which AEPI requested violate the freedom to information and privacy of communication, among others. The EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights is also infringed, as AEPI’s request conflict with ISPs rights to entrepreneurship and the principle of net neutrality.
The courts also commented in the ruling that the violation of intellectual property is less of a concern to the creators themselves and more of a concern for the culture industry. Finally, the measures proposed by AEPI are simply inefficient, as blacklisted torrent services often change their IP addresses and remain available.
