The Spanish government has introduced a new bill that would enable judges to shut down a website allegedly involved in infringing activities. The new bill is a major change from a prior proposal that envisioned shut downs without court oversight.
News
UK Digital Economy Bill: Amendment Proposals Nears 300
Reports from the UK indicate that the number of proposed reforms to the UK Digital Economy Bill has hit 299, indicative of considerable disagreement within the House of Lords over the bill.
French Report Recommends New Tax on Google
A French report has recommended instituting a new "Google tax" to support the music and publishing industries. The recommendation calls for a levy on all revenue generated from click-through advertising.
Legislators Worldwide Asking Questions About ACTA
Legislators around the world are demanding more information on the secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. French Deputy Nicolas Dupont-Aignan raised ACTA questions in the National Assembly late last year, expressing concerns about a global three-strikes and you're out approach, increased costs for medicines, and the lack of transparency associated with the process.
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden goes even further in a letter to the USTR this week that seeks answers to nearly a dozen questions about ACTA. Wyden asks about:
- possible constraints on domestic U.S. law reforms
- ensuring ACTA does not interfere with public health flexibilities in TRIPs
- the definition of counterfeit
- concerns about the inclusion of patents within ACTA
- the role of ISPs in ACTA
- whether increased monitoring of subscriber usage is envisioned by ACTA
- the privacy impact of ACTA
- details on border measures provisions
- third party liability for IP infringement
- possible commitments worldwide to comply with the DMCA
Wyden is not the first U.S. senator to raise questions about ACTA. Last year, Senators Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown also wrote to the USTR as did Senators Pat Leahy and Arlen Specter in 2008.
Misplaced Doubts About Facebook Advocacy
With the anti-proroguing Facebook group now past 100,000 members, there is still a surprising debate about the merits of online advocacy. Blayne Haggart rightly points out that we've seen this before in Canada and it is somewhat surprising that there is such doubt that this form of advocacy can be […]
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