Spain's Anti-Piracy Law May Already Be Obsolete

[sunnyd]

Story : http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/26/net-us-spain-piracy-idUSBRE82P0JV20120

Last year Spanish politicians were full of hope for legislation that promised to clamp down on digital piracy, encourage the creation of local online entertainment outlets and boost a sector which is among the bright spots in a deeply troubled economy.

It may not work out that way.

Since a new law came into force at the start of this month, internet traffic has anyway been switching away from websites providing links to copyrighted material, which were targeted by the law, towards peer-to-peer or content-sharing services instead.

That trend has been set by the closure of Megaupload, the global file-sharing website shut down by the U.S. government in January, which was one of the main links to the Spanish websites the country's new law aimed to bust.

Without Megaupload, many of the pirates have simply re-directed their activity towards peer-to-peer platforms to access copyrighted material. Such platforms are not covered by the new legislation and have been protected in Spanish courts.