(fyiteam)A few days ago, a bill from the Ministry of Culture passed through Parliament that, among other things, amends the 1993 law to combat online piracy, introducing fines for users for the first time.
Its main aim is to reduce the loss of revenue in the entertainment sector, such as from illegal subscriptions and intellectual property rights, as well as to protect public revenue, as the state loses taxes from these earnings.
(fyiteam)Piracy is the use of works (e.g., books, music, movies) protected by intellectual property rights without the permission of the owner.
By “use,” we mean reproduction, retransmission, recording, distribution, and public display, among others.
The term was used to describe the violation of intellectual property nearly a century before the first law for its protection was established in 1710 in the United Kingdom, specifically for books.
(fyiteam)Greece is at the EU average in terms of how often internet users in the country access pirated content online, with an average of about 10 times per month per user in 2023, according to a recent study by the EU Intellectual Property Office.
However, in the same year, Greece ranked 4th out of the 27 EU member states for online piracy of TV content (e.g., sports broadcasts) and 5th for online piracy of movies.
For live broadcasts and sports events, movies, and series (excluding other content such as music).
Practically, this includes:
(fyiteam)Fines:
The fines are doubled in case of repeat offenses.
In addition to fines, there is also the possibility of criminal prosecution for the user.
(fyiteam)Yes.
In November 2024, a citizen with a subscription to a pirated server offering TV channels was sentenced to 5 months in prison by the Athens Court of Appeals for Misdemeanors.
As part of the pan-European operation “Taken Down” across 10 countries, it was revealed that he was a subscriber to an illegal platform with 22 million users, which was shut down.
(fyiteam)For each new internet connection, service providers provide their customers with a router. Each router has a unique IP address that identifies it with the customer.
The provider can always track where each IP is connected, unless the user employs tools to hide it (e.g., VPN).
Theoretically, if a list of pirated sites/servers exists and it’s found that an IP has connected to them, the provider can link the IP to the customer and their tax ID number (AFM), and impose a fine.
At the same time, live dynamic blocking tools will be used, which are specialized programs that “scan” the internet for pirated sites and immediately block users’ access to them within the country, according to statements by the Minister of Culture, L. Mendoni, to Lifo.
These tools specifically target “clones” of older sites, as when a pirated site is taken down, “pirates” quickly create a copy with a very similar name (e.g., fyi.news -> fyi.olds).
(fyiteam)The details on when and how the law will be implemented, including the procedure for imposing and collecting fines, the responsible authority, and the appeals process, will be determined by a Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) from the Ministries of Culture and Finance, which will be published in the near future.
European Union Intellectual Property Office
Intellectual Property Enforcement: International Perspectives
