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German Court Halts ISP Blocks on Pornhub and YouPorn Over EU Law

The ruling turns on EU free-movement rules that undercut Germany’s youth-media law.

Overview

  • The Administrative Court in Düsseldorf suspended orders that would have forced Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone to block access to the portals pending a main ruling.
  • Judges relied on European Court of Justice jurisprudence and the EU origin-country principle, finding the German Youth Media State Treaty incompatible with free movement of digital services.
  • Provider-level bans issued since 2020 against Cyprus-based Aylo Freesites, operator of Pornhub and YouPorn, remain enforceable.
  • The NRW media regulator said it will appeal, and its head Tobias Schmid urged the European Commission to ensure effective enforcement.
  • Other courts have upheld blocks under the AVMS framework, including a recent ruling keeping restrictions via 1&1, underscoring unresolved DSA versus AVMD jurisdiction.