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ECLI:EU:C:2011:771
JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Third Chamber)
24 November 2011 (*)
(Information society – Copyright – Internet – ‘Peer-to-peer’ software – Internet service providers – Installation of a
system for filtering electronic communications in order to prevent file sharing which infringes copyright – No
general obligation to monitor information transmitted)
In Case C‑70/10,
REFERENCE for a preliminary ruling under Article 267 TFEU from the cour d’appel de Bruxelles (Belgium), made by
decision of 28 January 2010, received at the Court on 5 February 2010, in the proceedings
Scarlet Extended SA
v
Société belge des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs SCRL (SABAM),
intervening parties:
Belgian Entertainment Association Video ASBL (BEA Video),
Belgian Entertainment Association Music ASBL (BEA Music),
Internet Service Provider Association ASBL (ISPA),
THE COURT (Third Chamber),
composed of K. Lenaerts, President of the Chamber, J. Malenovský (Rapporteur), R. Silva de Lapuerta, E. Juhász
and G. Arestis, Judges,
Advocate General: P. Cruz Villalón,
Registrar: C. Strömholm, Administrator,
having regard to the written procedure and further to the hearing on 13 January 2011,
after considering the observations submitted on behalf of:
Scarlet Extended SA, by T. De Meese and B. Van Asbroeck, avocats,
Société belge des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs SCRL (SABAM), Belgian Entertainment Association Video ASBL
(BEA Video) and Belgian Entertainment Association Music ASBL (BEA Music), by F. de Visscher, B. Michaux and
F. Brison, avocats,
Internet Service Provider Association ASBL (ISPA), by G. Somers, avocat,
the Belgian Government, by T. Materne, J.-C. Halleux and C. Pochet, acting as Agents,
the Czech Government, by M. Smolek and K. Havlíčková, acting as Agents,
the Italian Government, by G. Palmieri, acting as Agent, assisted by S. Fiorentino, avvocato dello Stato,
the Netherlands Government, by C. Wissels and B. Koopman, acting as Agents,
the Polish Government, by M. Szpunar, M. Drwięcki and J. Goliński, acting as Agents,
the Finnish Government, by M. Pere, acting as Agent,
the European Commission, by J. Samnadda and C. Vrignon, acting as Agents,
after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 14 April 2011,
gives the following
Judgment
This reference for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of Directives:
2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on certain legal aspects of information
society services, in particular electronic commerce, in the Internal Market (‘Directive on electronic commerce’) (OJ
2000 L 178, p. 1);
2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects
of copyright and related rights in the information society (OJ 2001 L 167, p. 10);
2004/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the enforcement of intellectual
property rights (OJ 2004 L 157, p. 45, and corrigendum OJ 2004 L 195, p. 16);
95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with
regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (OJ 1995 L 281, p. 31); and
2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal
data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic
communications) (OJ 2002 L 201, p. 37).
The reference has been made in proceedings between Scarlet Extended SA (‘Scarlet’) and the Société belge des
auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs SCRL (SABAM) (‘SABAM’) concerning Scarlet’s refusal to install a system for
filtering electronic communications which use file-sharing software (‘peer-to-peer’), with a view to preventing file
sharing which infringes copyright.
Legal context
European Union law
Directive 2000/31
curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf;jsessionid=9ea7d0f130d5dbb59e1407d44d8bb49aa60ab6b2d70f.e34KaxiLc3eQc40LaxqMbN4Oc3yRe0?text=&d…
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