MOSCOW, May 20 (RAPSI) – A working group at the Communications Ministry is drafting a law to allow the courts to close websites that post pirated content even if they regularly delete it, Izvestia newspaper writes on Tuesday.

Currently, websites that post large amounts of user content, such as social networks, torrents and file hosting services, are not closed or held accountable if they promptly respond to rights holder complaints.

According to the newspaper, the draft law has a provision under which the courts would be able to close such websites if experts conclude that they post pirated content. “Unscrupulous illegal websites should be closed,” Deputy Communications Minister Alexei Volin told Izvestia.

Ministry representatives said their goal is “to develop criteria for declaring websites as web pirates.” The criteria under consideration are repeated violations of copyright and distribution of pirated content for profit.

“We plan to introduce a procedure that would enable rights holders to sue to block websites that violate their rights,” said Leonid Agronov, head of Russia’s National Federation of the Music Industry (NFMI). “Any copyright holder would be able to file a suit to block the website that violated their rights, just as the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) currently does with regard to extremist sites. Rights holders would also be able to file for damages.”