Application of Geo-Blocking to Copyright-Protected Digital Products

This book examines the practice of geo-blocking, which can be defined as the restriction of access to a digital product on the Internet based on the user’s geographical location. With the increased use of the Internet, particularly the growing consumption of digital products, the issue of geo-blocking has become more prominent and integrated into daily life. This study analyses geo-blocking practices under the European Union copyright law, focusing specifically on the Geo-blocking Regulation. Although the Geo-blocking Regulation aimed to resolve the issue of cross-border access to online products, it did not cover copyright-protected products. Consequently, copyright-protected digital products within the European Union may still be subject to geo-blocking, despite the goal of creating a Digital Single Market in the European Union. The geo-blocking debate is examined from various perspectives, exploring the most balanced approach that would support the proper functioning of the European Union internal market while respecting the interests of copyright holders, other rightsholders and users. This book assesses the need to include copyright-protected products within the scope of the Geo-blocking Regulation. To do so, it delves into the copyright law aspects of geo-blocking, particularly territorial licensing, the existing European Union legal framework regarding cross-border access to digital products, the competition law implications of this issue, and the circumvention of geo-blocking measures. In its final analysis, the book concludes that including copyright-protected digital products within the scope of the Geo-blocking Regulation would benefit users, copyright holders, and the internal market’s proper functioning, albeit with certain limitations.