[P2P-F] Fwd: [opennetcoalition] IPRED: the European Commission Must Listen to the Citizens!

Mon Jul 11 14:13:49 CEST 2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: La Quadrature du Net <jz at laquadrature.net>
Date: Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 7:01 PM
Subject: [opennetcoalition] IPRED: the European Commission Must Listen to
the Citizens!
To: opennetcoalition at laquadrature.net

La Quadrature du Net - For immediate release

Permanent link:
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/ipred-the-european-commission-must-listen-to-the-citizens

IPRED: the European Commission Must Listen to the Citizens!

*** Paris, July 11th, 2011 – The European Commission just published the
synthesis of the responses to the consultation on the revision of the
anti-sharing “IPRED” directive. Among these are a large number of responses
from European citizens worried about the transformation of Internet
technical intermediaries into a private copyright police. La Quadrature du
Net congratulates all citizens for their watchfulness and their responses.
The Commission can no longer ignore the citizens' opposition to its project
to reform the IPRED directive. ***

The European Commission just published a report on the results of the
consultation on the revision of the anti-sharing IPRED directive [1], to
which La Quadrature took part. Citizens were the first group of respondents,
before the entertainment industry representatives (rights-holders,
collecting societies, etc.). Given the large number of responses, the
Commission even decided to take into account answers sent more than two
month after the deadline (normally set to March, 31th 2011).

Naturally, citizens are opposing the Commission’s project to reform IPRED,
which intends to fight the online sharing of culture “at the source”, by
turning Internet actors into a private police force on the Net. This
strategy announced [2] at the end of May by commissioner Michel Barnier [3],
follows the repressive policies encouraged by ACTA [4], the conclusions of
the G8 [5] or more recently those of the OECD [6]. As reminded by the UN
special rapporteur for freedom of expression last month [7], such an
evolution of Internet law would be highly detrimental to freedom of
expression, privacy and the right to a fair trial.

“This important mobilization shows how concerned citizens are about rights
and freedoms on the Internet, and their refusal to see Internet actors
turned into a copyright police under the guise of “cooperation”. While
copyright debates are systematically biased by the entertainment industries'
intense lobbying, the importance of this citizen participation should make
it clear here that the sharing of culture is an opportunity, not a threat,
and that fighting it is bound to fail and harm freedoms. The Commission must
take into account the voice of citizens by renouncing its repressive project
and initiating a copyright reform that takes into account the public's
rights and new uses.” declared Jérémie Zimmermann, spokesperson of the
citizen group La Quadrature du Net.

La Quadrature thanks and congratulates all the citizen who took part in this
consultation and trusts them to follow with diligence the anti-sharing
directive's evolution.

* Références *

1.
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/consultations/docs/2011/intellectual_property_rights/summary_report_replies_consultation_en.pdf

2.
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/eu-commission-sticks-to-flawed-copyright-repression

3. The commission indicated then that the anti file-sharing IPRED directive
would soon be revisited to “fight the infractions at the source, and, in
accordance to that goal, stimulate the cooperation of the intermediaries,
like ISPs.”.

4. http://www.laquadrature.net/en/ACTA

5.
http://www.laquadrature.net/fr/le-g8-francais-centre-sur-le-controle-et-les-restrictions-aux-libertes-en-ligne

6.
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/copyright-interests-force-private-censorship-into-oecd-communique

7.
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/un-report-on-freedom-of-expression-bashes-g8-acta-hadopi

** About la Quadrature du Net **

La Quadrature du Net is an advocacy group that promotes the rights and
freedoms of citizens on the Internet. More specifically, it advocates for
the adaptation of French and European legislations to respect the founding
principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge.

In addition to its advocacy work, the group also aims to foster a better
understanding of legislative processes among citizens. Through specific and
pertinent information and tools, La Quadrature du Net hopes to encourage
citizens' participation in the public debate on rights and freedoms in the
digital age.

La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, European and international NGOs
including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society Institute and
Privacy International.

List of supporting organisations :
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-squaring-net-la-quadrature-du-net

** Press contact and press room **

Jérémie Zimmermann, jz at laquadrature.net, +33 (0)615 940 675

http://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room

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