Call for participation: data retention and copyright
The deadline is nearing for two important consultation rounds from the European Commission, on mandatory data retention and on copyright.
European Digital Rights is working hard on a thorough answer on the EU plans for mandatory retention of all internet and telephony traffic data. The document will be made publicly available on the EDRI website, and EDRI will participate in the public hearing following the consultation on 21 September 2004. But more input, both from the industry and civil society, is urgently needed in order to have any impact on the decision making process. EDRI calls on all readers of this newsletter to send in responses on the consultation and protest against the proposal to store extensive sensitive data about all EU citizens. At the request of Privacy International, the UK lawfirm Covington & Burlington has prepared an extensive legal argument against general data retention, for violating fundamental human rights. Please feel free to use any arguments from this document in your answer, with reference to the original document.
Consultation on data retention (deadline 15.09.2004)
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/topics/ecomm/doc/useful_information/library/public_consult/data_retention/consultation_data_retention_30_7_04.pdf
Privacy International data retention reports
http://www.privacyinternational.org/retentionreports
The Commission allows the public much more time to ponder about fine-tuning copyright legislation. The deadline on this consultation expires on 31 October 2004. The consultation centres around a Commission working paper which suggests that current EU copyright legislation is generally effective and consistent, but would benefit from some improvements. The Commission has promised to take into account the results of the consultation before proposing legislative amendments within the next year or so.
An important issue with this consultation is the possible extension of copyright protection for recorded music from 50 years to 95, as lobbied for by some influential US rights holders. The working document however suggests that there is no apparent justification for such a change in the neighbouring rights, given that in nearly all other industrialised countries the relevant period is also 50 years. Support from civil society for this reasoning certainly seems important.
Consultation on copyright (deadline 31.10.2004)
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/955&language=EN&guiLanguage=en