Here’s a bit of relief to the Indian internet citizens. The users who are on AirTel, Reliance and many other ISPs found that the file sharing websites, video streaming sites like Vimeo, and many other torrent sharing websites have been blocked. But now, according to a court order, the sites that were blocked by the Indian ISPs are now accessible.
Medianama reports that the Madras High Court has ordered that the reporter of infringement should provide the specific URLs that are to be blocked instead of the entire website. This is a major relief for the Indian internet users, who are using AirTel and Reliance as their main ISP. So from now on, if someone reports an infringement, they should provide the specific list of URLs that are shared illegally on the file sharing websites, and the ISPs would block only those specific URLs from the access. The blog is said to be having a copy of the order, which reads as follows:
“The order of interim injunction dated 25/04/2012 is hereby clarified that the interim injunction is granted only in respect of a particular URL where the infringing movie is kept and not in respect of the entire website. Further, the applicant is directed to inform about the particulars of URL where the interim movie is kept within 48 hours.”
This relaxation in the ‘John Doe’ order has brought a relief to the internet users in the country. Anonymous has been in this scene ever since Government launched this ban, and they have been doing some protests to lift this ban on the internet users. Looks like they have succeeded in doing it now.
The Verdict
Starting now, the ISPs have lifted the ban on these websites like The Pirate Bay, Vimeo and some more file sharing websites. But if there’s going to be a case of Copyright infringement, the person who files this case should come up with a list of URLs that are sharing their Copyright content, so that the ISPs would block access to only those URLs, instead of the entire website.
This is surprising for many of the internet users, since none expected this kind of an order from the court. This might take a turn if something comes in the middle though. We will keep you posted about the situation. But for now, you’d be able to access the websites that were blocked by the ISPs.