[P2P-F] Fwd: [opennetcoalition] EU Commission Sticks to Flawed Copyright Repression

Mon May 23 16:00:18 CEST 2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: La Quadrature du Net <jz at laquadrature.net>
Date: Mon, May 23, 2011 at 7:34 PM
Subject: [opennetcoalition] EU Commission Sticks to Flawed Copyright
Repression
To: opennetcoalition at laquadrature.net

La Quadrature du Net - For immediate release

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

EU Commission Sticks to Flawed Copyright Repression

*** Paris, May 23rd, 2011 – Today, the EU Commission releases its
“intellectual property rights strategy”. Unsurprisingly, the Commission
calls for preventing copyright infringements on the Internet “at the
source”, by forcing Internet companies such as hosters and access providers
to obey the entertainment industries. In practice, turning these actors into
a copyright police comes down to establishing a censorship regime, paving
the way for dangerous breaches of fundamental rights. ***

For years, policy-makers have been implementing repressive schemes to fight
not-for-profit exchanges of copyrighted works by individuals over the
Internet. Ever since they lost control over the distribution channels of
cultural works, the biggest entertainment majors have relentlessly explained
that the whole creative economy is going bankrupt. But an evidence-based
approach to the filesharing phenomenon shows that the negative impact of
so-called piracy is a myth: those who exchange cultural works on the
Internet are fans, not free-riders. Even the study commissioned by the
infamous HADOPI – the agency in charge of implementing the three-strike
scheme in France – showed that people who share cultural works online
declare spending more on cultural goods than consumers who do not [1].
Similarly, live performances are booming and ticket sales for movie theatres
are at all-time highs [2]. Sharers are actually the creative sector's best
customers.

“The sharing of culture between individuals is a positive force for the
creative economy, cultural diversity and access to culture. Even though
facilitating the commercial distribution of creative works on the Internet
is positive, it can not be done at the expense of criminalizing a practice
which has obvious benefits, if one dares consider the evidence.” says
Philippe Aigrain, co-founder of La Quadrature du Net.

Although the Commission explains that the IPRED directive will be revised to
step up the repression of online infringements, it is hard to see a
principle-basis. It is all the more worrying that, as announced by Internal
Market Commissioner Michel Barnier, what the Commission envisions is
extra-judicial enforcement of copyright at the core of the Internet's
architecture. Following Nicolas Sarkozy's realization that measures weighing
on Internet users are political and technical failures [3], the Commission
is trying to compel Internet actors to police their services and networks
[4], as we explain in our response to the consultation of the anti-sharing
IPRED directive. This would turn Internet companies into a private copyright
police and justice, violating the right to a fair trial, freedom of
expression and privacy [5].

“Like the United States with the PROTECT IP Act, the goal of EU authorities
is to use technical means to block communications and restrict users' access
in the name of enforcing an obsolete vision of copyright. Such a scheme
would lead to the establishment of a censorship infrastructure by online
actors, technically similar to those currently used in authoritarian states.
In the process, freedom of communication, privacy as well as the right to a
fair trial would inevitably be undermined.”, says Jérémie Zimmermann,
spokesperson of La Quadrature du Net.

“This shift towards an increased role of Internet platforms in preventing
the sharing of cultural works online is alarming. It comes down to
transforming the very architecture of the Internet for the sole benefit of a
few corporate players. Their harmful influence on policy-making is keeping
us away from a crucial reflection on how to fund the creative economy of the
21st century.”, concludes Zimmermann.

* Références *

1. See p. 45 of the document: http://www.hadopi.fr/download/hadopiT0.pdf (in
French). This is just a recent example in a long series of such studies.
Several other independent studies – including some from the OECD, IPSOS, the
Canadian Department of Industry and other academic as well as governmental
sources – show a neutral or positive economic impact of file-sharing on the
creative sector. See an index of these studies: http://lqdn.fr/p2pstudies

2. See the example of France,
http://www.lexpress.fr/culture/cinema/2010-annee-record-pour-les-salles-obscures_963022.html(in
French)

3. In early 2010, Nicolas Sarkozy said that: “Hadopi must develop more
modern solutions to protect creative works, and to hold a vigilant and
permanent dialogue with the web's actors. The more we can automatically
de-pollute networks and servers of all sources of piracy, the less it will
be necessary to take measures against Internet users. We must therefore
experiment without delay filtering measures.” See:
http://www.elysee.fr/download/?mode=press&filename=100107-discours-Voeux_culture.pdf(in
French)

4. The Commission explains that the anti-sharing IPRED directive will soon
be revised to “tackle the infringements at their source and, to that end,
foster cooperation of intermediaries, such as Internet service providers”

5. By doing so, the Commission would violate the e-Commerce directive, which
was adopted in 2000 to promote the development of the digital economy while
fostering freedom of expression online, and which shelters Internet actors
from having to police the Internet.

** 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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