In an unprecedented legal move, Spain’s Supreme Court has ordered the temporary blocking of messaging app Telegram in Spain. This decision follows complaints about copyright infringement by various audiovisual groups.
The blocking of the popular messaging app, was announced following a joint complaint by Mediaset, Atresmedia and Movistar Plus+. These media giants accused Telegram of distributing their content without permission. In response, Judge Pedraz ordered telecom providers to suspend access to Telegram within three hours of receiving the court notice.
The reason behind the blockade
This drastic measure was taken after Telegram failed to respond to requests to provide information necessary for an ongoing investigation. According to the judge and the plaintiffs, Telegram refused to cooperate. That led to the decision to temporarily block the app in an attempt to stop further copyright infringements.
Consequences of the blockade
Although the app still functions, users are reporting increasing problems connecting to the app. Since the blockade came into effect, sending and receiving messages have often gone wrong. It is expected that as telecom providers implement Judge Pedraz’s orders, users will no longer have access to the messaging service. Telegram, which has about 800 million active users worldwide, has about 8.5 million users in Spain.
Reactions to the blockade
The decision has provoked mixed reactions. The consumer organisation Facua labels the measure as “excessive”. They emphasise the significant impact this decision will have on millions of Telegram users. The same applies to companies, organisations and public and private institutions that legitimately distribute content through their channels on the platform.
The future of Telegram in Spain now depends on further developments in the investigation and decisions of Judge Pedraz.