Austrian anti-piracy group has spent years to block websites it deemed infringing, but now it will face the same attitude from its enemies. In response to blocks against popular streaming services, the supporters of the Pirate Party are going to block the anti-piracy group's headquarters in Vienna.
Screen_Hunter_02_Oct.jpg

Aside from the corporate blocking solutions which categorize websites as unsuitable for viewing audiences under their own rules, entertainment industry groups also target websites in attempt to block it at the ISP level.

Most recently Austrian anti-piracy group VAP blocked two streaming websites – Movie4K and Kinox – with the help of local broadband providers. This was the culmination of years of the outfit’s work. A number of local Internet service providers now block those websites, and VAP will of course return for blocks of other sites. Moreover, it will be joined by recording group IFPI that will take on The Pirate Bay and other portals.

Nevertheless, the Austrian division of the Pirate Party complaints about such Internet censorship and is planning to give the group a small taste of their own medicine. At a certain date, party members and their supporters are going to descend on VAP headquarters in Vienna in order to air their opinions on blocking and other censorship measures. They believe that their small offline “blockade” will be able in some way reflect those experienced online.

The pirates, under the slogan “Block the Blocker”, are planning to form their own symbolic obstruction outside the group’s headquarters in Vienna in order to raise awareness of why online filtering is highly controversial and fails to protect the artists. This is a position broadly shared by a number of political parties in the country, including the Greens.

It is clear that the pirates won’t manage to fully block access to VAP building, because that would be illegal. In addition, even if they did manage to do so, VAP employees could simply come to their workplace via another entrance or even an adjoining building. The recent news is that Kinox has circumvented the blockade by adding a new .TV domain, so there won’t be a pirate today who doesn’t appreciate that irony.