Finnish protest against EU copyright plans

EDRI-member Electronic Frontier Finland (EFFI) submitted a statement on a
proposed EU Directive to harmonise the enforcement of intellectual property
laws, including copyrights and patents, across member states. According to
EFFI, the new directive is based too unilaterally on studies made for the
media industry. For example, the proposal compares piracy to drug trade and
terrorism. Besides proposing punitive damages, the draft directive suggests
that defendants should pay for the publication of judgements in newspapers.
Another principle objection of the Fins against the draft Directive is that
it treats digital products the same way as the counterfeiting of medicines,
alcohol, toys and car parts. EFFI argues that piracy and counterfeiting
affecting the safety and the health of individuals should never be compared
with infringements on digital products.

The proposal, adopted by the Commission at the end of January, is currently
under discussion in the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.
A first draft of a ‘Working Document’ was presented to that Committee by
its rapporteur Janelly Fourtou on 28 April. The vote in Legal Affairs is
foreseen for 11 September, the one in Plenary for the week following 20
October.

EFFI statement
http://www.effi.org/julkaisut/lausunnot/ipr_enforcement_lausunto.en.html

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on
measures and procedures to ensure the enforcement of intellectual property
rights
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/pdf/2003/com2003_0046en01.pdf

Working Document presented by Fourtou to the European Parliament’s Legal
Affairs Committee
http://www.europarl.eu.int/meetdocs/committees/juri/20030428/495099EN.pdf