Russia’s mail.ru banned by Italian court for promoting distribution of pirated products

YEREVAN, July 21. /ARKA/. Russia’s largest email provider Mail.ru has been banned by an Italian court for promoting distribution of pirated movies. The hosting service is among the 24 blocked websites together with the Megaupload founder’s new project Mega, RBC reports. 

This large-scale blockade came at the request of a small local independent movie distributor, Eyemoon Pictures. 

The company claimed that the websites in question distributed two of its movies – “The Congress” and “Fruitvale Station” – ahead of their release in Italian cinemas. 

Mail.ru technical supporters responded to users from Italy by saying in their Twitter that they are in touch with the access problem in Italy and that their specialists will make every effort to solve this problem. 

Another Russian portal vk.com (VKontakte) was blocked in Italy in November 2013 and remains blocked also now. The court then, satisfying Medusa Film company’s suit, ordered to block the portal for posting a pirate copy of Gennaro Nunziato’s movie “Sole a Catinelle” here. Despite the disputable content was removed from VKontakt servers almost immediately, Italian providers are not quick in lifting the blockage. -0----