Fair Dealing by Giulia Forsythe (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/dRkXwP

Fair Dealing by Giulia Forsythe (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/dRkXwP

Copyright

Guardian on UK Digital Economy Bill

The Guardian's editorial on the UK bill pulls no punches: The digital economy bill is misnamed. A more honest title for the legislation, recently introduced in the Lords, would be the copyright protection and punishment bill. It is less about creating the digital businesses of the 21st century than protecting […]

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November 25, 2009 Comments are Disabled News

Billy Bragg on Music and Copyright

Billy Bragg and Charlie Angus hosted a press conference last week that included Safwan Javed of Wide Mouth Mason (and the Canadian Music Creators Coalition) and Don Quarles of the Songwriters Association of Canada.  The event attracted some media attention and a video of the event has now been posted […]

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November 25, 2009 Comments are Disabled News

Weatherall on ACTA in Australia

Kim Weatherall has published an updated Australian analysis of what ACTA would mean in that country.

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November 25, 2009 Comments are Disabled News

Opposition Mounts in Europe To Three-Strikes Proposals

Multiple reports today indicate that opposition is growing in Europe to plans for three-strikes policies that could lead to the termination of Internet access for some subscribers.  In the U.K., protests are mounting over those plans in the recently introduced Digital Economy Bill.  The BBC reports that thousands of people have signed a petition urging the government to reconsider its approach, while the Open Rights Group says it has seen a big spike in membership.  The UK's Internet Service Provider Association has unsurprisingly voiced its opposition, stating "rather than focusing blindly on enforcement, the government should be asking rights holders to reform the licensing framework so that legal content can be distributed online to consumers in a way that they are clearly demanding."  The Telegraph reports popular author Stephen Fry has lent his support to opposing the bill, vowing to urge people to sign the petition until a million people have signed on.

Meanwhile, European Union Telecom Commissioner Vivianne Reding has warned Spain against adopting a three-strikes model without a procedure before a judge.  Reding added:

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November 24, 2009 2 comments News

U.S. Senators Call for ACTA Transparency

While the MPAA characterizes the calls for ACTA transparency as a distraction, at least two U.S. Senators do not agree.  Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have written to USTR, asking that the ACTA text be made public.

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November 24, 2009 2 comments News