European Court of Justice positions the right to privacy above the rights of copyright holders

In one of its strongest statements to date concerning the tension between some fundamental human rights such as privacy and freedom of information and the private interests of copyright holders, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has unequivocally chosen the side of human rights. The ECJ was called upon by the Belgian courts in a dispute between the ISP scarlet and the copyright organization SABAM. Advocate General Pedro Cruz Villalón was adamant when stating: