📰 New article from TorrentFreak
Adviser of EU’s Highest Court Backs VPN Neutrality in Anne Frank Copyright Battle
Here’s the newsletter-ready version—punchy, human, and just a little sassy:
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When Anne Frank’s diary goes geo-blocked… and VPNs get dragged into WWII-era copyright drama
Let’s be real: if you’re trying to read The Diary of Anne Frank online—and you’re in the Netherlands—you get a polite “sorry, not today” message. Why? Because copyright law is weirdly stuck in 1945, even though Anne died in 1945. The Swiss-based Anne Frank Fonds claims rights until 2037 in the Netherlands, even though it’s public domain everywhere else. So the Dutch Anne Frank Foundation built a fancy geo-block to keep locals out. Smart move.
But then came the twist: The Fonds sued… because people used VPNs to sneak in. They argued if it’s possible to bypass the block, then the site is liable. Cue the EU’s top legal adviser, Advocate General Rantos: “Nope.” In a rare moment of digital common sense, he said geo-blocking is fine—if it’s not laughably broken. And VPNs? They’re just… pipes. Not copyright cops.
TL;DR: If you use a VPN to read Anne Frank’s words, you’re the one breaking rules—not the tool you used. Unless the VPN company is screaming, “Hey, bypass this!” at you. Then it’s on them.
Final ruling from the CJEU is coming later this year. If they side with Rantos? Streaming services, publishers, and libraries everywhere breathe a sigh of relief. If not? Welcome to the internet where every click could be a lawsuit.
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P.S. Anne Frank’s voice deserves to be heard. Not buried under legal loopholes.