MOSCOW, June 25 (RAPSI) – A law that would allow the courts to close websites that post pirated content even if they regularly delete it, which the State Duma can adopt by July 13, will not include music piracy, Vedomosti newspaper wrote on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Culture have confirmed this information.

Deputy Minister of Communications Alexei Volin said the amendments that could be adopted this year would include books, software and films. Music will be added to the antipiracy law on January 1, 2016. Volin said the delay was due to the complicated administration system.

“We have always advocated the gradual introduction of antipiracy measures. Music will be included in the law in 18 months,” said Deputy Culture Minister Grigory Ivliyev. He said the reason was the huge amount of music files on the internet and the possible avalanche of lawsuits.

The antipiracy law was adopted in August 2013 and initially only protected films and television series. Under the law, the Moscow City Court is the only judicial body that can accept lawsuits filed by copyright holders to block a website that violates a copyright.

Izvestia newspaper wrote on Monday that the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Culture had coordinated new wording for the antipiracy law and would submit it to the State Duma within days, hoping that it will be adopted by the end of the lower house’s spring session on July 13.