ProtonVPN says it shouldn’t have to cut off pirates - but fails to convince French courts
The article reports that ProtonVPN lost a legal case in France where it tried to avoid being forced to block piracy websites accessed through its service. The dispute arose after French rightsholders sought court orders requiring various internet intermediaries to help block illegal streaming platforms, particularly those distributing sports content without authorization.
The French court rejected ProtonVPN’s arguments and ruled that the company must implement measures to block access to specific pirate sites for users in France. This means the VPN provider is now legally obligated to prevent its customers from reaching those targeted piracy platforms through its network.
ProtonVPN argued that VPN services should not be responsible for enforcing such blocks. The company said VPNs function as neutral privacy tools that simply provide secure internet access and do not host or distribute content themselves. Because of this role, ProtonVPN claimed it would be legally inappropriate and technically difficult to require them to monitor or restrict user activity.
The company also raised broader concerns about internet freedom and privacy. According to ProtonVPN, forcing VPN providers to block websites could create a precedent where privacy tools are turned into censorship mechanisms. They argued that authorities should instead focus on shutting down the illegal streaming services themselves rather than targeting intermediaries like VPN providers.
However, the French court was not convinced by these arguments and sided with the rightsholders. The decision reflects a growing strategy by the entertainment industry to expand anti piracy enforcement beyond internet service providers to include other technical intermediaries such as DNS services and VPNs that can be used to bypass blocking measures.
The ruling is considered significant because it suggests courts may increasingly expect VPN services to participate in piracy blocking efforts, potentially expanding the responsibilities of companies that provide privacy and secure browsing tools online.
