'VPNs are lawful technical tools,' says EU Court in landmark Anne Frank copyright ruling

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that publishers and VPN providers aren't liable for copyright infringement

• VPN providers aren't liable for copyright infringement, said the EU Court
• The Court explicitly recognized VPNs as "lawful technical tools"
• The case centered on the copyright battle involving Anne Frank's diary

In a major victory for digital rights and common sense, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has officially categorized Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as "lawful technical tools" while establishing new boundaries for online copyright disputes.

The landmark judgment — handed down in July 2026 — stems from a complex legal battle over the online publication of Anne Frank's historical manuscripts. At its core, the case forced Europe's top judges to answer a highly technical question: if a publisher actively tries to block visitors from a specific country, are they still breaking the law if a user sneaks past the digital border using circumvention software?

According to the CJEU, the answer is no. As long as a website employs "state-of-the-art" geo-blocking technology, the publisher cannot be held liable for copyright infringement simply because a determined reader decides to fire up the best VPN to bypass the restrictions.

The ruling sets a massive precedent. It confirms that copyright holders cannot point to the mere existence of VPNs to claim a website's security measures are completely ineffective.

Does anyone comprehensively understand the effect of confirming them as "lawful technical tools" in case of further challenges to VPNs?

Of course, Anne Frank’s diary should be way the fuck out of copyright if the US hadn't shoved Micky Mouse copyright terms down everyone's throats.