Online piracy is a common form of infringement involving the unauthorised publication and use
of copyright-protected content, as well as the unlawful use of trade marks, brands and logos on
various online resources. According to data from the research agency MUSO, Russia ranks
second worldwide in terms of consumption of pirated software. The issues of combating piracy,
protecting brands and obtaining compensation for copyright infringement therefore remain
highly relevant.
Gorodissky & Partners is one of Russia’s leading law firms specialising in the protection and
enforcement of intellectual property rights, including copyright protection. The firm’s specialists
effectively combat online piracy and assist brand owners and owners of digital content in
protecting their rights.
Anti-Piracy Measures in Russia
The principal legislative act governing the fight against piracy in Russia is Federal Law No. 187-
FZ, adopted in 2013 Under this law, copyright holders whose materials have been unlawfully
made available online may bring proceedings against the websites hosting such content.
A rights holder may also apply to the court for interim measures. Once the application has been
granted, Roskomnadzor notifies the hosting provider of the infringement, and the hosting
provider, in turn, notifies the website owner. The website owner must, within one business day,
either remove the infringing content or restrict access to it. The objective may therefore be
achieved at the interim-measures stage, without waiting for the court to decide the case on its
merits.
Following a favourable court decision, Roskomnadzor orders the blocking of the infringing
website. The order must be implemented by the relevant communications provider within three
days. In addition to seeking the blocking of the resource, the copyright holder may bring a claim
for compensation against the owner of the online resource for copyright infringement.
As anti-piracy enforcement practice has developed, legislators have adopted additional laws and
amendments, including the following:
Federal Law No. 156-FZ allows "mirror" websites of pirate resources to be blocked
without the need to obtain an additional court order. Blocking may be initiated at the
request of the copyright holder or the competent state authorities.
Federal Law No. 276-FZ regulates services that conceal users' IP addresses or provide
access to online resources through VPN technologies. Under the law, anonymiser websites must operate in such a way that users located in Russia cannot access resources
blocked by Roskomnadzor.
Federal Law No. 364-FZ introduced the possibility of permanent blocking of an
infringing website. Where a court orders permanent restriction of access to a website, the
decision is sent to Roskomnadzor. Within 24 hours, Roskomnadzor sends the
communications operator a request to restrict access to the website, and the operator must
implement the restriction.
Legislation also requires search engines to remove from their search results pages websites that
have been blocked in Russia pursuant to a Roskomnadzor decision. Failure to comply may result
in administrative liability under the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation.
Major Russian internet resources providing search or content-hosting services have also entered
into a multilateral memorandum. Under this memorandum, search engines voluntarily agreed to
remove resources containing pirated content from search results even where those resources have
not yet been included in the official list of prohibited websites.
An electronic register was created for this purpose. It contains links to pages hosting pirated
content, as well as links to pages containing instructions on how to circumvent blocking
measures.
Despite significant progress in combating unlawful online content, the complete elimination of
digital piracy remains a distant goal. Copyright holders and trade mark owners therefore
continue to rely on specialised legal service providers to identify infringements and obtain
damages or statutory compensation from those responsible.
Our Services
To monitor compliance with copyright and related rights and the use of trade marks online,
Gorodissky IP Security (GIPSECURITY) uses proprietary software based on machine-learning
technologies and artificial intelligence.
The system enables the firm’s professional analysts to detect infringements during online
broadcasts, on specialist websites, social media platforms and other digital resources. Based on
the information collected, the team takes steps to eliminate identified infringements through pre-
litigation or court proceedings, with the involvement of the firm’s leading lawyers where
necessary.
Cease-and-desist letters are sent both to infringers in various countries and to internet service
providers and hosting providers. This approach makes it possible to stop infringements as
quickly and effectively as possible.
1 August 2026