Press review
The press review catalogues press articles related to la Quadrature's issues, compiled by its volunteers.
See also our French press review.
[EurActiv] L’UE s’attaquera aux droits d’auteurs sur les livres numériques en 2010
La Commission européenne va établir des systèmes d’autorisation de droits multimédias simples et efficaces en termes de coûts concernant la numérisation d’œuvres publiées et leur disponibilité sur Internet, a-t-elle annoncé cette semaine (19 octobre). [...]
The legal implications of digitisation en masse and the potential costs for rights clearance are the two main issues that emerged from a consultation with libraries, publishers and other stakeholders.
The Commission says it will deal with the copyright aspects of digital publishing in the context of a new strategy on intellectual property rights in 2010. [...]
Internal Market [...]
Rights clearance too expensive [...]
Orphan works still undefined [...]
Creating a European solution [...]
http://www.euractiv.com/fr/societe-information/ue-attaquera-droits-auteu...
[Arstechnica] EFF opens the "Takedown Hall of Shame"
Missing that wonderful surge of anger that comes from hearing about some bogus attempt at shutting down free speech with a DMCA takedown notice? The EFF has you covered, opening a new "Hall of Shame" to highlight the worst of the worst.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a big fan of naming and shaming. When it launched its patent-busting project a few years back, the activist group put up a "Wanted by EFF marshals" poster; eight of the ten patents on the list have already been narrowed, invalidated, or reexamined
A careful look at the list is instructive. The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is on the list because gay-marriage supporters somehow got hold of the audition tapes for NOM's best-known ad, tapes that were then aired on the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC. NOM sent a takedown notice.
One other item of interest: Big Content is represented less than one might think. The complete list does mention NBC, NPR, Warner Music, CBS News, and Universal Music, but it's dominated by smaller, non-media players like Union Square Partnership, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Uri Geller, Diebold, and DeBeers.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/eff-opens-the-takedown-h...
[euobserver] European parliament abandons internet cut-off struggle
On 6 October, telecoms ministers formally rejected the parliament's key amendment - the now infamous Amendment 138.
France-France-based internet freedom pressure group La Quadrature du Net calls the compromise text "useless legalese" that essentially only restates existing rights protections and does nothing to explicitly rule out internet blocking.
"Amendment 138 will instead be replaced by a weak provision that does not carry any new important safeguard for citizen's freedoms," said spokesman for the group, Jeremie Zimmerman.
"This decision was taken consciously by rapporteur Catherine Trautmann, in order not to risk a confrontation with the Council [representing the member states] and to quickly finish with the telecoms package."
Mr Zimmerman said pressure from France and other member states has been fierce.
"Ministers of member states, who want to be able to regulate the net without interference from the judiciary, were rushing to kill amendment 138 and put an end to the negotiations."
[sueddeutsche.de] Der Einfluss der Lobby
Am Donnerstag hat der französische Verfassungsrat Internetsperren für Raubkopierer gebilligt. Nach dem sogenannten Hadopi-Gesetz können Richter illegales Herunterladen von Software, Musik oder Filmen mit einer Sperre des Internetanschlusses sanktionieren.
Jérémie Zimmermann ist Mitbegründer von La Quadrature, einer Bürgerrechtsorganisation, die gegen das Gesetz kämpft (eine Liste ihrer Geldgeber finden Sie hier).
sueddeutsche.de: Monsieur Zimmermann, was halten Sie von diesem Urteil?
Jérémie Zimmermann : Der Tag der Urteilsverkündung war ein trauriger Tag für die Internetfreiheit in Frankreich. Jérémie Zimmermann: The day the verdict was a sad day for Internet freedom in France. Immerhin: Das erste Gesetz war ein Albtraum, weil sie der neuen Regierungsbehörde Hadopi das Recht gegeben hätte, eigenhändig über die Sperre von Internetzugängen entscheiden. Nevertheless: The first law was a nightmare because they had the new government authority Hadopi given the right to decide his own hand on the lock of Internet access. Diese Entscheidung liegt künftig beim Richter. This decision is in future to judge. Aber das ändert nichts daran, dass es ein gefährliches Gesetz ist. But the fact remains that it is a dangerous law.
sueddeutsche.de: Der Kulturminister hat das Urteil begrüßt ...
Zimmermann: Frankreich ist das einzige Land, in dem das Internet von einem Kulturminister geregelt wird. Jeder weiß, dass dort die Musik- und Filmindustrie oder Verwertungsorganisationen wie die französische Variante der Gema einen ungeheuren Einfluss besitzen, zumal sie Staatspräsident Nicolas Sarkozy im Wahlkampf ja unterstützt haben. Ich saß einmal mit dem Cheflobbyisten der französischen Filmindustrie zusammen, und der hat mir ins Gesicht gesagt: "Ich bin im Kulturministerium zu Hause."
sueddeutsche.de: Aber vom EU-Parlament gab es Gegenwind.
Zimmermann: Den gab es zu Anfang, das Parlament hat zwischenzeitlich sogar das Telekom-Paket blockiert, das das Telekommunikationswesen in Europa neu regeln sollte. Die Parlamentarier wollten einen Passus, der sicherstellt, dass Nutzern der Internetzugang nur nach einer richterlichen Anordnung gesperrt werden kann. Doch Sarkozy hat einen Brief an Baroso geschrieben, er werde das nicht akzeptieren, da wurde dann von französischer Seite sehr starker Druck aufgebaut. Im neuen Kompromissvorschlag, den das Parlament dem EU-Rat vorlegen wird, ist von der richterlichen Einschränkung keine Rede mehr.
[ElPais.com] El Parlamento europeo avala las leyes más duras contra las descargas P2P
El Parlamento europeo se había opuesto inicialmente a iniciativas como las del Gobierno francés al considerar el acceso a Internet como un derecho humano. En este sentido se redactó la enmienda 138 que establecía que cualquier medida que restrinja derechos fundamentales o libertades "debe tomarse en circunstancias excepcionales" y obligaba a una intervención judicial. Al decaer esta enmienda, el parlamento acepta que las autoridades administrativas de cualquier país puedan cortar el acceso a Internet de un usuario acusado de acumular descargas ilegales.
La Quadrature du Net, uno de los sitios que ha encabezado la defensa de esta enmienda, escribe en sus páginas que "con este repliegue, el Parlamento europeo ha asumido la idea errónea de que, en virtud de los tratados, no tiene ningún poder para proteger los derechos ciudadanos".
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/tecnologia/Parlamento/europeo/avala/leyes...
[BBC] Europe backs down on piracy plans
The European Parliament has given the green light for member states to cut persistent file-sharers off from the net.
It has dropped an amendment to its Telcoms Package which would have made it hard for countries to cut off pirates without court authority. [...]
The French government has just approved plans which could see pirates removed from the net for up to a year. [...]
Amendment 138 read: "Any such measures liable to restrict those fundamental rights or freedoms may only be taken in exceptional circumstances...and shall be subject to adequate procedural safeguards in conformity with the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.. including effective judicial protection and due process." Dropping it effectively means that individual countries would be able to ask internet service providers to remove users deemed to be persistent pirates without needing a prior court order. [...]
Persistent problem [...] New methods [...]
[...] non-network piracy methods, including using instant messaging, e-mail, music blogs, bluetooth and iPod ripping, are on the rise.
It is likely that legislation will be too slow to catch pirates, thinks Mr Mulligan. "Technology just moves quicker. Already we are seeing around 20 different alternatives to peer-to-peer piracy," he said. [...]
[ArsTechnica] FCC proposes network neutrality rules (and big exemptions)
The FCC unveiled its six network neutrality rules today, along with a pair of gaping exceptions. But does the agency even have the authority to regulate the 'Net? The Republicans and the EFF both say no.
As expected, the FCC laid out its draft network neutrality rules at an open meeting today. Despite the partial dissent of the two Republican commissioners, the pro-neutrality faction has won a major rhetorical battle; even its toughest opponents sing the praises of a "free and open Internet." [...]
Exceptional rules [...]
There's nothing new here? [...]
Whatever one thinks of the draft rules, it remains encouraging to see the FCC doing things the "right way." Under predecessor Kevin Martin, a "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" might be issued without containing the actual draft text of the rule—a fact that several commissioners noted. And Genachowski has the FCC blogging (even liveblogging the meeting), is overhauling the agency website, and has ditched the horrible RealPlayer streaming setup in favor of Flash video that actually works the first time. Kudos.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/10/fcc-proposes-network-neu...
[IHT] France Approves Wide Crackdown on Net Piracy
France thrust itself into the vanguard of the global battle against digital piracy on Thursday, approving a plan to deny Internet access to people who illegally copy music and movies. [...]
“It is a very sad day for Internet freedom in France,” said Jérémie Zimmermann, spokesman for La Quadrature du Net, a group that had campaigned against the law. He said opponents of the law would seek new ways to subvert it.
[RSF.org] European Union adopting regulations that will penalize Internet users
Reporters Without Borders is very concerned about the consequences that the European Union’s adoption of the so-called Telecoms Package will have for bloggers and other Internet users. [...]
The package should have given the EU the opportunity to guarantee Net neutrality, but all of the amendments that the European Parliament proposed with this in mind have been rejected by the council. Instead, the principle of Net neutrality is being ignored and the package seems well on its way to being approved as is. [...]
Google, Yahoo! and Amazon also advocate Net neutrality, unlike mobile phone companies and Internet Service Providers such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast [...] The principle of non-discrimination is enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. [...]
Read and sign the open letter to the European Parliament on Net neutrality: http://www.laquadrature.net/en/we-must-protect-net-neutrality-in-europe-... [...]
Watch this interview with Jérémie Zimmermann, co-founder of “La Quadrature du Net,” a citizens collective : [...]
[PCW] Canada Weighs in with Net Neutrality Ruling
Canada's telecommunications regulator today issued a ruling upholding the right of major telcos and cable providers to manage the traffic of its Internet customers, but requiring the wholesale providers to give wholesale customers 60 days notice and forbidding them from throttling video conferencing without the government's permission. [...]
In a press release the Commission [...] urges ISPs to increase the capacity of their networks.
Steve Anderson, national co-ordinator of SaveOurNet.ca, a coalition of groups insisting that Internet service providers treat all traffic without discrimination called the decision a "pretty much weak approach to maintaining net neutrality."
"They're not saying (ISPs) have to stop discriminatory throttling" of traffic, Anderson said. Not everything in the ruling is disappointing, he added. Consumers can still complain to the CRTC that an ISP practice has violated the commission's guidelines. In that way, "it's a small step in the right direction," he said [...]
http://www.pcworld.com/article/174062/canada_weighs_in_with_net_neutrali...
