[p2p-research] Fwd: [opennetcoalition] Gallo Report on the future of EU copyright: repression or reflexion ?

Wed May 26 12:34:32 CEST 2010

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: La Quadrature du Net <jz at laquadrature.net>
Date: Tue, May 25, 2010 at 4:04 PM
Subject: [opennetcoalition] Gallo Report on the future of EU copyright:
repression or reflexion ?
To: opennetcoalition at laquadrature.net

La Quadrature du Net - For immediate release

Permanent link:
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/gallo-report-on-the-future-of-eu-copyright-repression-or-reflexion

Gallo Report on the future of EU copyright: repression or reflexion ?

*** Paris, May 25th, 2010 - The Gallo Report on the future of "intellectual
property rights" (IPR) enforcement will be voted on June 1st, at 9 AM, [1]
in the Committee for Legal Affairs (JURI) of the European Parliament. Since
no compromise was found between the members of the committee, two visions
will frontally oppose. While the rapporteur -- French sarkozyst EPP member
Marielle Gallo -- is pushing for more repression to tackle online
file-sharing, some positive amendments from all the other political groups
[2] seek to end the dogmatic repression and call for the consideration of
alternative schemes to fund creation. Every citizen concerned by the future
of copyright in Europe and by the open nature of the Internet should express
their views to the Members of the JURI committee [3]. ***

More and more evidence [4] -- including the recent US Government
Accountability Office report [5] -- show that the alleged negative effects
of file-sharing are not substantiated by any rigorous fact finding. Despite
such evidence, the entertainment industries are pushing the JURI committee
to endorse outdated and disproportionate repressive policies in order to
prevent people from sharing cultural works online. The initial report from
[6] -- which don't involve a judge therefore miss the guarantees of a fair
trial -- and more criminal sanctions [7] against file-sharing.

Nevertheless, The S&D group of the European Parliament [8], along with
members of the ALDE [9] and the Green [10] groups, seem ready to go in a
different direction, trying to adapt law to a new era of digital
technologies. Not through repression, but rather through reflexion and a
fair understanding of where the opportunities are for the knowledge society
and for the funding of creation. These amendments call for introducing
flexibilities so that our legal framework evolve in accordance with new
technology and widespread social practices, thus preserving the principle of
proportionality and fundamental freedoms.

"The vote on June 1st will set the course for the future of copyright and
Internet policy in the European Parliament. We will then see whether the
dogmatic and repressive, pro-ACTA vision of Mrs Gallo prevails. As long as
lawmakers try to oppose the practices enabled by technology with an obsolete
vision of copyright, they will fail to revitalize the creative economy and
will harm our fundamental freedoms. We must convince the members of the JURI
committee that it is time to move away from the dangerous attempts to
control copies in the digital world and to invent new ways of stimulating
and funding creation", concludes Jérémie Zimmermann, spokesperson for
citizen advocacy group La Quadrature du Net.

Resources:

 * Amending the Gallo report: Towards a balanced approach to IPR enforcement
- La Quadrature's policy brief [11] on the JURI committee vote of the Gallo
report.
 * Creative Content in the Digital Age: Reasserting the Rights of the Public
- La Quadrature's response [12] to the European Commission's consultation
[13] regarding "Online Creative Content".
 * The Creative contribution [14] - Proposal by La Quadrature's co-founder
Phillipe Aigrain.

* Références *

1.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/calendarCom.do?language=EN&body=JURI
2. http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Rapport_Gallo_Amendments
3. La Quadrature's wiki-based tool Political Memorycan be used for this
purpose.
4. See a compilation of studies regarding file-sharing:
http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Studies_on_file_sharing_eng
5. Link to the GAO report itself:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10423.pdfand its summary in Le Monde:
http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2010/04/19/la-cour-des-comptes-americaine-met-en-cause-les-chiffres-du-telechargement-illegal_1336770_651865.html
6. "[The European Parliament] agrees with the Commission that additional
non-legislative measures are useful to improve the application of IPR,
particularly measures arising from in-depth dialogue among stakeholders",
Paragraph 16.
7. "[The European Parliament] does not share the Commission view that the
principal body of laws with respect to IPR enforcement is already in place;
points out in this respect that negotiations on the directive on criminal
sanctions have not been successfully concluded and calls on the Commission
to put forward a new proposal on criminal sanctions under the Treaty of
Lisbon", Paragraph 6.
8. Françoise Castex (S&D, France), Luigi Berlinguer (S&D, Italy), Stavros
Lambrinidis (S&D, Greece), Lidia Joanna Geringer De Oedenberger (S&D,
Poland), Bernhard Rapkay (S&D, Germany) and Masip Hidalgo (S&D, Spain).
9. Cecilia Wilkström (ALDE, Sweden).
10. Christian Engstöm (Green/EFA, Sweden).
11.
http://www.laquadrature.net/files/LaQuadratureduNet-20100419_Gallo_report_policy_brief.pdf
12.
http://www.laquadrature.net/files/LaQuadratureduNet-20100105-Online_Creative_Content_Consultation.pdf
13. http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/other_actions/content_online/index_en.htm
14. http://www.laquadrature.net/en/proposals

** About la Quadrature du Net **

La Quadrature du Net is an advocacy group that promotes the rights and
freedoms of citizens on the Internet. More specifically, it advocates for
the adaptation of French and European legislations to respect the founding
principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge.

In addition to its advocacy work, the group also aims to foster a better
understanding of legislative processes among citizens. Through specific and
pertinent information and tools, La Quadrature du Net hopes to encourage
citizens' participation in the public debate on rights and freedoms in the
digital age.

La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, European and international NGOs
including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society Institute and
Privacy International.

List of supporting organisations :
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-squaring-net-la-quadrature-du-net

** Press contact and press room **

Jérémie Zimmermann, jz at laquadrature.net, +33 (0)615 940 675

http://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room

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