Torrent for everyone? The Swiss are preparing to bring their copyright laws into line with the new era and it seems that in the coming months, a new bill will be presented to the public for consultation.
According to TorrentFreak , the new bill will include some key points regarding BitTorrent usage, copyright infringement, and more. The scenario seems to suggest that the Swiss are taking a different approach than other countries around the world, opting to allow internet users to download content for personal use, regardless of the type of content.
However, uploading illegal content to BitTorrent websites will be considered illegal, and “obviously illegal websites” will have to be blocked.
The international community, and in particular the MPAA and RIAA groups that try to protect copyright holders, are pressuring Switzerland to take action against online piracy.
The International Intellectual Property Organization has also gone so far as to not hesitate to say that the country has become an attractive haven for services involved in illegal activity and that it is a major exporter of pirated content.
Of course, it is not uncommon for these organizations to complain about the legislation that has been implemented by one country or another, instead of using their time to find ways to implement affordable methods so that fans of the genre can gain access to movies and music through legal channels.
Regardless, the Swiss Federal Council has been working on a bill that will be up for public consultation until the end of 2015. In it, they will try to make everyone happy. On the one hand, they should improve things for creators of intellectual content, but also suit consumers.
Therefore, when the new bill comes in, it is very likely that it will be legal to download intellectual material for personal use, but uploading it will be outlawed.
It is of course unclear whether simultaneously uploading and downloading a torrent, for example, qualifies as "uploading" or whether the term strictly refers to illegally placing a copy of a movie or album on a website.
