Major labels are celebrating a court order blocking BitTorrent trackers in Bulgaria. Here’s the latest.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) represents the recorded music industry worldwide, alongside the Bulgarian Association of Music Producers (BAMP) have managed a successful blocking action against BitTorrent trackers in the country.
The ruling was handed down by the Sofia City Court on May 31, 2023 and requires three ISPs in Bulgaria to block access to the BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay, local site Zamunda, and all subsequent mirrors of these torrenting sites. The case was coordinated by IFPI and filed by BAMP on behalf of its members and three member record companies of IFPI—Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.
Bulgaria joins 20 countries around the world who have blocking orders in place for The Pirate Bay, 13 of those countries are in the EU. Zamunda is a local BitTorrent site and is not blocked in any other countries aside from Bulgaria, which contributes 80% of traffic to the site.
“We welcome this decision and the impact it will have on limiting illegal access to music,” says Frances Moore, Chief Executive of IFPI. “Copyright infringement of any sort causes serious harm to local music ecosystems and directs money away from those creating and investing in music.”
“We welcome the Sofia City Court’s decision which will strengthen the recorded music industry’s fight against online music piracy,” adds Petya Totcharova, Executive Director of BAMP. “It is the first time a website blocking order has been granted in Bulgaria and we consider this precedent an important step in the right direction.”
IFPI is the voice of the recording industry worldwide and represents over 8,000 record company members across the globe. The organization looks to promote the value of recorded music, campaign for the rights of record producers, and expand the commercial uses of recorded music around the globe.