EU Politicians Strike Back Against Three Strikes
Last time we wrote about the EU's Bono Report on the Cultural Industries, it was to warn of a rightsholders' hijack. Lobbying groups like IFPI were encouraging amendments that would give a European Union stamp of approval to ISP filtering content, blocking sites and cutting off Net users at the demand of the entertainment industry.
Now the tables have turned - and the same report has become a strong demonstration of the deep discontent in the heart of Brussels with how far the entertainment industry wants to impose its policies on the European Internet.
On Wednesday, the Bono report goes to a final parliamentary vote. The pro-blocking amendments are gone, thanks to your calls and protests. In their place, a new amendment has been proposed by young Swedish MEP Christofer Fjellner and the former Prime Minister of France, Michel Rocard, condemning any measure taken by the EU or nation states that:
"[conflict] with civil liberties and human rights and with the principles of proportionality, effectiveness and dissuasiveness, such as the interruption of Internet access".
Among the signatories to this strong statement are the original author of the report, Guy Bono, and representatives from all the political parties in the Swedish government.
As Karl Sigfrid, MP in Sweden's national parliament, notes on his blog, this is a sharp rebuke against IFPI's demands that Net users be cut off on the orders of rightsholders — and current French President Sarkozy's plans to do just that. It's early days, but the Bono Report fight has the shown that the EU can listen to more than just the rightsholders in this debate.
Related Issues: EFF Europe, International
Want to learn how you can defend free speech, stand up for privacy, fight for government transparency, support consumer rights, and protect your right to innovation in the digital world? Visit http://eff.org/fight to find ways to help.
