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

_Published Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 6:20 PM EDT · Policy · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![EU — Primary](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5NsvMB6arEjzGkWxkstoDj-1920-80.jpg)

The Court of Justice of the European Union has officially categorized Virtual Private Networks as lawful technical tools in a landmark copyright ruling.

The court said VPN providers are not liable for copyright infringement when users bypass geo-blocking measures. The judgment stems from a case involving the online publication of Anne Frank's manuscripts, where publishers used geo-blocking to restrict access from Dutch IP addresses. The court ruled that copyright holders cannot claim a website's security measures are ineffective simply because users employ VPNs to circumvent restrictions.

The decision validates that using a VPN to encrypt traffic or hide IP addresses is a legitimate use of consumer technology. VPN providers are shielded from liability in piracy lawsuits, with the legal burden placed on publishers to maintain state-of-the-art digital fences.

## Sources

- [techradar.com](https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/vpns-are-lawful-technical-tools-says-eu-court-in-landmark-anne-frank-copyright-ruling)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/gM2kKHbpTa0AW0QkhPiY1P
Published: 2026-07-21T22:20:55.925Z
Story chronology: 2026-07-21T12:00:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-20T04:28:48.407Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)