The Spanish

Government approved a new legislation that will block websites deemed to

violate copyright infringements. A new body within the Ministry of Culture will

be in charge of managing and coordinating the process, which is independent

from any other civil or criminal procedure. An individual or a collective

management organisation can make a request to the new body and ask the internet

provider to remove unauthorised content on the website. The Decree, will come

into force on 1 March 2012. Meanwhile, the Government adopted a new regulation

on private copying, which came into effect on 1 January 2012. According to the

new rule, the compensation for private copying will no longer be paid by

manufacturers or importers. Instead, the Spanish government will pay an amount

based on the estimation of the damage caused by the private copying. The money

will be deducted from the national budget.