<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">at</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:at@kein.org">at@kein.org</a>></span><br>Date: Thu, May 12, 2011 at 9:00 PM<br>
Subject: [fcforum] brussels, June 7: hearing - on the enforcement of intellectual property rights<br>To: <a href="mailto:fcforum@list.fcforum.net">fcforum@list.fcforum.net</a><br><br><br>Will anyone be in Brussels for this or consider attending?<br>
<br>
Public Hearing Directive 2004/48/EC on the enforcement of intellectual<br>
property rights: Challenges posed by the digital environment<br>
<br>
<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/iprenforcement/docs/conference20110607/programme_en.pdf" target="_blank">http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/iprenforcement/docs/conference20110607/programme_en.pdf</a><br>
<br>
<br>
A piece from Monica Horten's <a href="http://iptegrity.com" target="_blank">iptegrity.com</a><br>
-------------------<br>
<br>
<br>
3-minute speech limit at EU copyright hearing<br>
Written by Monica Horten<br>
May 10, 2011 at 11:38 PM<br>
The European Commission threatens to handbag* all speakers who go over<br>
3-minutes at a public hearing on the IPR Enforcement directive (also<br>
known as IPRED). A key focus of the hearing will be Internet copyright<br>
enforcement and peer-to-peer file-sharing. What will the Commission's<br>
new, ex-IFPI, head of copyright have to say?<br>
<br>
Following the demise of its secret ‘stakeholder dialgoue', the European<br>
Commission has announced a public hearing on intellectual property<br>
enforcement in the digital environment.<br>
<br>
The hearing - on the enforcement of intellectual property rights:<br>
Challenges posed by the digital environment - is the final part of DG<br>
Markt's consultation exercise regarding the IPR Enforcement directive<br>
(IPRED). The Commission's objective is to obtain further feedback to its<br>
plans for revision of this directive.<br>
<br>
According to the Commission's Communication on the IPRED review, the<br>
main focus of the policy agenda is Internet enforcement, and the<br>
Internet will be the main discussion topic for the hearing. Challenges<br>
in this context, means how to stop peer-to-peer file-sharing, and how to<br>
get the ISPs to do the dirty work for the rights-holders, in enforcing<br>
copyright online.<br>
<br>
The head of intellectual property policy at the European Commission,<br>
Margot Fröhlinger, will be chairing the discussion. Potentially over<br>
two hours of time has been allocated for stakeholder comments. But<br>
anyone who wants to speak must register beforehand, and will only be<br>
allowed to speak 3 minutes.<br>
<br>
We should therefore ask whether the Commission is really willing to<br>
listen to anyone other than a few favoured lobbyists, and whether the<br>
public interest will be considered?<br>
<br>
It is likely that the three-minute limit will be enforced, and one does<br>
have to question whether the Commission will enable a balance of<br>
interests to be heard. In particular, I do wonder whether she will<br>
permit citizens groups to speak at all.<br>
<br>
In 2008, I attended a hearing at the beginning of the Telecoms Package<br>
with a similar 3-minute rule, and the gavel came down swiftly on head of<br>
the telecoms lobby group, ETNO, when he tried to speak for longer.<br>
<br>
It was ETNO who brought down Mrs Fröhlinger's recent ( and secret)<br>
Stakeholder Diablogue talks.<br>
<br>
Observers will be keenly interested to see Margot Fröhlinger's number<br>
two in copyright, Maria Martin Prat and any presentations by her will<br>
be closely watched.<br>
<br>
Ms Martin-Prat, formerly worked as Director of Legal Policy for IFPI,<br>
the music industry lobby group , and was recently appointed as head of<br>
the European Commission's Copyright Unit. She replaces Tilman Lueder<br>
who has apparently left the Commission.<br>
<br>
Ms Martin Prat's appointment to head the copyright unit is highly<br>
controversial and her ability to act impartially has been highlighted.<br>
As a member of the Commission services, she is a civil servant, and is<br>
duty bound to show no favoritism, however, her former connection with<br>
IFPI does raise question marks and will certainly test her integrity to<br>
the full.<br>
<br>
My first question is - which brand of handbag does she carry?<br>
<br>-----<br>
+ info <a href="http://list.fcforum.net/wws/info/fcforum" target="_blank">http://list.fcforum.net/wws/info/fcforum</a><br>
-------<br>
<br></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>P2P Foundation: <a href="http://p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://p2pfoundation.net</a> - <a href="http://blog.p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://blog.p2pfoundation.net</a> <br>
<br>Connect: <a href="http://p2pfoundation.ning.com" target="_blank">http://p2pfoundation.ning.com</a>; Discuss: <a href="http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation" target="_blank">http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation</a><br>
<br>Updates: <a href="http://del.icio.us/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://del.icio.us/mbauwens</a>; <a href="http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/mbauwens</a>; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens</a><br>
<br><br><br><br><br>