European Judge, Free Speech More Important Than Copyright

In a ruling from Strasbourg, judges declared that a conviction based on copyright law for illegally reproducing or publicly communicating copyright material can be regarded as interfering with the right of freedom of expression and information. What this means is that someone violating copyright won’t necessarily be convicted: courts will have to justify why a conviction is ‘necessary in a democratic society’. So a prosecutor will have to prove that not only was copyright violated, but that a conviction is necessary.

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