juin 2008

The French Government just finished writing a bill that would aim at controlling internet traffic in order to punish web users guilty of copyright infringement. The law, highly anticipated by right holders, would create a new public body in charge of sanctioning people guilty of illegal downloading. It would first warn them by sending emails and letters, and could eventually order internet service providers to suspend their internet access. The Council of State, a court of senior jurists that advises the government on legislative bills and also acts as France’s… Lire la suite »Why the French 3-Strikes Law Might Be Unconstitutional

This in-depth article by EUobserver journalist Leigh Phillips comments on a draft report of the European Parliament’s Culture Committee about concentration and media pluralism in the EU. It was adopted by the Committee on June 3rd and the report will now be submitted to the plenary assembly within the next few weeks. As stated by Phillips, its main recommendation is for the European Commission and EU member states to apply competition law to the media to ensure media pluralism. Its other major recommendations include the creation of media pluralism ombudspersons… Lire la suite »The European Parliament to Advocate Media Pluralism and Blogging Transparency

Sweden is considered as a leader of the information society. The country boasts one of the best broadband networks in the world, 80% of households have an internet connection and it is heading towards progressive policies on file-sharing (thanks to rightholders in particular). In addition, Sweden has taken the transparency lead in the European Union as it has successfully convinced its partners to implement principles of government openness in the functioning of EU institutions since it entered the EU in 1995. A law passed on Wednesday, however, appears as a… Lire la suite »Sweden and the Information Society: A Step Backward