The Committee of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan on Science, Education, Innovative Development and Information Technologies, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs has approved a draft government decree on the «Approval of the Agreement on Coordinated Approaches to Combating Violations of Intellectual Property Rights in the Information and Telecommunication Network (Internet).»
The international treaty within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) aims to introduce unified mechanisms for protecting copyright and related rights in the digital space. According to analytical materials accompanying the document, standard administrative and criminal measures against online piracy have proven ineffective in practice due to lengthy procedures and the transborder nature of the network.
At present, specialized anti-piracy legislation exists only in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan and Armenia still lack such dedicated mechanisms. The new agreement is intended to close this gap and establish unified rules across all member states of the Union.
What will change after the agreement comes into force:
- Court-ordered blocking: access to websites illegally hosting films, music, books, or educational materials will be restricted based on a court decision from the EAEU country where copyright infringement is recorded.
- Obligations for providers: website owners, internet service providers, hosting companies, and search engine operators will be required to promptly take measures to block pirated content or links facilitating its download.
- Unified blacklist of websites: the EAEU will create a common electronic registry of websites restricted due to intellectual property violations.
The drafters of the document emphasize that the implementation of the new rules will not entail additional financial costs for legitimate businesses. On the contrary, coordinated approaches will allow national rights holders to safely distribute their works on legal platforms and ensure stable income.
