Court upholds Belgian states right to block ISP’s

According to legal firm Altius an extensive judgment delivered Monday by the Court of First Instance in Brussels upheld the Belgian State’s right to blacklist unlicenced operators and order internet service providers to block their websites.

The case brought against the Belgian State by online gambling firm Bet-at-Home claimed under the EU Electronic Commerce Directive and Belgian Law, which both exclude gambling, that their fundamental rights of free speech and free commerce were being violated.

The claim was rejected by the court who said “where ISP’s do have rights, they cannot be invoked by an “illegal remote gambling operator” and that no rights can be invoked in order to perpetuate an illegal activity.

According to Philippe Vlaemminck of Altius, the case is the second victory for the Belgian Government against illegal operators “proving that the enforcement of law against illegal operators through blacklisting and website blocking is the first and most important method to protect consumers against illegal operators”.

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