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On 3 February 2015, the Russian President signed into law a bill adopted by the State Duma on 27 January 2015. The new law lifts the ban on commercials for pay cable and satellite television channels that do not broadcast (or rebroadcast) foreign content. The ban, which prohibits any commercials on pay television channels if the channels do not hold a terrestrial broadcasting license or are not on the list of must-carry programmes, became effective on 1 January 2015 (IRIS 2014-8/34). Reportedly, it could negatively affect media plurality with the coming digital switchover, when hundreds of regional...

On 31 December 2014, President Putin of the Russian Federation signed into law a federal statute adopted by the State Duma on 17 December 2014. It amends the date of entry into force of the Federal Statute of 21 July 2014 N 242-FZ “On amendments to particular legal acts of the Russian Federation related to the specifics of the order of processing personal data in information-telecommunication networks” (IRIS 2014-8/35). Originally the amendments were to enter into force on 1 September 2016, but now the date has been pushed to 1 January 2015.

On 24 November 2014, the President of the Russian Federation signed into law a Statute amending the civil procedural law and the information law. The new act introduces a number of measures aimed at boosting the ability of rightsholders to cease distribution via the Internet of illegal content. In particular it specifies that Article 10 (Distribution of Information or Provision of Information) of the Federal Statute “On information, information technologies and on protection of information” (see also IRIS 2014-6/31) shall include an obligation of all owners of websites to publish on their sites...

On 14 October 2014 President Vladimir Putin signed into law amendments to the Statute on the Mass Media that drastically limit foreign ownership in the media. The new Statute enters into force on 1 January 2016. The amendments revise Article 19-1 of the Statute on the Mass Media, itself introduced in 2001 (see IRIS 2001-9/25), and further tightens the policy introduced by a 2008 statute to curb foreign investment in companies of strategic importance to the security of the nation (see IRIS 2008-8/32). A foreign state, international organisation or an organisation under foreign control, a foreign...

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of the Russian Federation signed on 31 July 2014 Ordnance of the Government that amends current rules of access to Internet effectively banning availability of this service to anonymous users. The Ordnance refers to the recently adopted changes in the laws related to information online (see IRIS 2014-6/31) and demands from those providing universal Internet service in points of collective access, as well as from any other Internet service providers at public spots including wi-fi, to demand identification of the users, collect and store this data for a six-month period. The...