Google Portugal may also appeal the decision, but it will have to block the EZTV sites, risking a fine of 1000 euros daily if it does not comply with the order.
Google Portugal was sentenced to block access to the EZTV website and their subdomains, used for the illegal sharing of audiovisual content. The decision was confirmed by the Lisbon Court of Appeal, which rejected the appeal filed by the company and upheld the fine of a thousand euros per day in case of non -compliance.
The process was filed by GEDIPE – Association for Collective Management of Cinematographic and Audiovisual Producers and Producers, in 2020, denouncing that the EZTV website allowed the website Access to content protected by copyright without authorization. The entity warned Google Portugal and the general inspection of cultural activities for the problem, but even after blocking by telecommunications operators, the page was still accessible through Google’s DNS servers, explains the.
In the resource, Google Portugal claimed do not have technical means To lock, as your DNS are provided by Google Ireland and, globally, by Google LLC. However, the court rejected this argument, stating that the company has the “key” to prevent access to illegal material. With this, it kept the decision that requires Google to “turn off” the page and the more than 500 associated subdomains.
For Gedipe, this is a historical victory, since it is the first conviction of this type in a higher court. “We won in the first instance and Google appealed, but this time the reasoning was based on concrete evidence that the company You have the means to block the DNS“Gedipe director-general, António Paulo Santos, said.
The company can still resort to the decision For a higher instance, but without suspensive effect, which means that the obligation to block remains in force. Gedipe warns, however, that the fight against illegal content sharing still has a long way to go. According to the association, pirates have used “resolve” DNS to circumvent blockages, and argue that companies like Google should be required to comply with the orders of national authorities.
