Swiss Supreme Court Forbids Rights Holder Access To IP Addresses

The Swiss Federal Supreme Court took a decision on 8 September preventing the collection of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses by private companies.

This decision agrees with the request of the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), which had made a recommendation in 2008 and asked Logistep AG, a Swiss company providing anti-piracy solutions, to stop its “probing of peer-to-peer networks,” according to a FDPIC release.

Logistep is collecting the IP addresses of alleged infringers on behalf of rights holders, FDPIC said. The copyright owners can then start “criminal proceedings in order to be granted access to files containing the personal details of the users concerned.” FDPIC considered this as an “abuse of the law.”

The Federal Supreme Court decided that Logistep AG would no longer be allowed to “collect or pass on any further data.” This decision is not granting copyrights infringement permission but “criminal investigations must comply with current legislation,” the release said.

Read the Swiss Supreme Court press release (in French) here [pdf].