Spain Introduces New Measures on Anti-Piracy and Private Copy

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.