The Russian Book Union appealed to the management of Internet companies Yandex and Mail.ru Group with a request to organize the process of removing pirated links from search results extrajudicially, as well as to introduce technology for recognizing illegal copies of books by digital footprints. Copies of the appeal were also sent to Roskomnadzor and the The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS).

Vkontakte social network (owned by Mail.ru Group) has a positive experience of using this technology. Recognition of illegal content by digital fingerprint has been used there since 2017. Electronic books posted by users are automatically compared with legal copies, and pirated content is blocked. In September 2019, Vkontakte started applying this technology to audiobooks as well.

In November 2018, Yandex and Mail.ru Group signed an anti-piracy memorandum with media companies, producers and legal video services to remove pirated content from search results. At the end of 2018, Roskomnadzor proposed creating a new anti-piracy memorandum that would regulate relations between book publishers and Internet search engines. It was planned that the memoranda would then be replaced by an anti-piracy bill, but its development has stalled due to a government reshuffle and a pandemic. Now work on the document has resumed.

Original (in Russian)