Strasbourg, March 8th, 2010 - Tonight, the JURI committee of the European Parliament will discuss the amendments tabled on the Gallo report1. This initiative report2 is a response to a communication of the Commission on "intellectual property rights" enforcement, which La Quadrature has already strongly criticized. To make sure that the Parliament promote the interest of European citizens, the report must be profoundly revised.

1. 1. Update, March 10th: At the last minute, the meeting was postponed to a future date. The reasons for this delay remain undetermined.
2. 2. A non-legislative position of the European Parliament preparing or encouraging a legislative initiative

As Spain holds the rotating Presidency of the EU Council, it is currently defining a European strategy for the "Digital Agenda". A draft document regarding what Spain calls the "Granada Strategy" reveals unacceptable orientations toward handing the control of the Internet to telecoms operators, sacrificing Net neutrality.

La Quadrature du Net submitted its response to the EU 2020 consultation launched by the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso.

To make the knowledge society a reality, La Quadrature calls on the Commission to focus on Internet users' rights regarding access to information commons, particularly by mandating Net neutrality and reforming the European copyright regime.

The European Commission has launched a consultation regarding the future of creative content online.

This move is a first step towards legislative action at the EU level, and the consultation could shape the nature of the upcoming debate on copyright reform.

Last week (December 14th-18th), the World Intellectual Property Organization's standing committee on copyright and related rights (SCCR) was considering, among other things1, a proposal by Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay for an international treaty aimed at increasing the accessibility of books for blind people. The SCCR eventually decided to initiate "focused, open-ended consultations" regarding exceptions and limitations for print-disabled persons, and will then consider whether it is ready to move forward with a treaty.

1. 1. For the full agenda, see http://keionline.org/node/721