Swedish Judicial System Scrutinized After Pirate Bay Trial
There were plenty online who were arguing that the judicial system in Sweden was corrupt after accusations flew over bias in both the original judge and the judges deciding the bias charge. Now, a debate is re-emerging in Sweden over whether or not judge affiliations should be checked before they tackle cases.
There are no [...]
Masthead Editorials Critical of Canadian Surveillance Legislation
There’s a pair of editorials found in two major news outlets in Canada that are critical of the new surveillance legislation the Conservative government of Canada tables in parliament. Both seem to agree that the potential for abuse exists with the new “tools” that would be granted to police. We look at a [...]
Will the EU Litigate France Over French Three Strikes Law If Passed?
After France passed the three strikes law in their country, there were many questions over how this seemed to contradict recently adopted legislation known as the telecoms package which also guarantees internet access as a right. Apparently, there was much more than speculation as one MEP, Guy Bono, threatened legal action if the French [...]
Is the IFPI Obstructing Free Trade to Pressure Canada into Copyright Reform?
How far are the copyright lobbyists willing to go to bully Canada into copyright reform? It appears as though the copyright industry is now attempting to obstruct a free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union just for the purpose of getting their copyright laws into Canada. We examine in-depth why saying [...]
European Parliament Shuts the Door on Three Strikes Law
After a long and hard fought battle, consumer rights advocates and activists in Europe have reason to celebrate today. The back door for a graduated response toward the French proposal of a Three Strikes law has officially been effectively voted down for a third and final time. The only thing left is technical [...]
EU Reopens Backdoor to Graduated Response in Telecoms Package
The clock is ticking on the telecoms package and not even a week before the final vote, reports are surfacing that the provisions that would prevent an EU-wide three strikes law has been neutralized.
It’s been a back and forth battle preventing a European-wide three strikes law. Under pressure from France and the copyright industry, [...]
A Look Back – European Copyright Term Extension Effort Draws Concern
There’s been quite a lot of evidence to support the idea that copyright term extension in Europe is a bad idea, yet the people tasked to determine whether or not it’s a good idea seems to simply think otherwise. Many suggest that the evidence has been ignored in favor of lobbying.
The Open Rights Group [...]
French Minister Pushes for Mandatory ISP Level P2P Filtering Across Europe
If there is anything that file-sharing filtering programs haven’t proven, is 100% effectiveness. In spite of the lack of evidence, that isn’t stopping one minister from pushing for a European law that would force ISPs to implement such technology.
It may be the first time many in English speaking circles have even heard of the [...]
Demands Increase to Annul European Data Retention Policy
The European Digital Rights organization is joining calls to annul the European directive on data retention. The group, along with 42 civil liberties non-governmental organizations say the data retention policy directive is illegal on material grounds.
The European Digital Rights (EDRi) organization signed an amicus curiae brief which was started by the German non-governmental [...]
European Commission Wants Consumer Friendly Market for Content
With a lot of attention being paid to the European Commission settling the Apple iTunes anti-trust case, it’s interesting to note what the European Commission has called for earlier this week with things like DRM and file-sharing.
In a press release, the European Commission said, “EU citizens should be able to enjoy easier and faster access [...]
