Italy challenges ‘digital mafias’
March 24, 2023
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Italy’s Camera dei deputati (Chamber of Deputies), the lower house of the Italian Parliament, has approved in its first reading and unanimously new measures to fight the illegal distribution of copyright-protected content.
The initiative brings on board the Communication Authority (AgCom), the National Cybersecurity Agency and Internet Service Providers.
The target of the new anti-piracy measures will be the DNS and AgCom will be given the power to, in real time, order ISPs to block sites transmitting or distributing illegitimate content within 30 minutes.
The measure aims to protect not only pay-TV broadcasters, but also the movie industry, producers, authors, musicians and publishers.
In order to empower the regulator to fulfil the new task, all interested parties will be required to pay a contribution to AgCom.
Thanks to data provided by the banks, it will be easier to block the proceeds of those running clandestine broadcasting operations or pirate newsstands.
Pirates risk prison sentences of between six months and three years as well as a fine ranging from €2,582 to €15,493.
Commenting on the development, AgCom Commissioner Massimiliano Capitanio declared that “Italy is the first country in Europe to challenge digital mafias”.
The proposal will now go to the Senate for a final vote before entering into force.