Russian Facebook starts showing licensed content

Russia’s largest social network VK (formerly known as VKontakte) has started to show licenced films following months of pressure on the firm to crack down on the publication of copyright-infringing content on its site. Dubbed the Russian Facebook, VK allegedly accounts for 50% of all pirated traffic in Russia and hosts 77% of pirated films in the country, according to IFPI, representatives of the global music industry.

Movie companies can now enter into a deal with VK to screen films in return for advertising revenue from the page. One of the first companies to agree to the terms is Star Media, a producer and distributor of films and TV shows to Russia and the former Soviet republics.

Following the passage of an anti-piracy law in August 2013, VK has increasingly come under fire for hosting unlicensed music and film on its website. It has since started to remove illegal content from its site and seek out ways of preventing such material from being published on its platform. One option they are said to be considering is the use of You Tube-style music and video fingerprinting technology.