Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Freedom of expression online

Petition against copyright law in Italy

By EDRi · March 12, 2003

On 9 March the Italian Associazione Software Libero opened an on-line petition against the proposed implementation of the European Copyright Directive. The petition is an open letter to the Culture Committee of the Lower House, inviting them to reconsider their almost unanimous approval of the copyright law on 25 February 2003. Like in most other EU-countries, resistance against the implementation is focused on the very broad legal protection of anti-circumvention measures. Quoting from the open letter: ‘It will be illegal to possess equipment and usable algorithms for the circumvention of technological measures. Under the new norm, it is totally irrelevant if the equipment is intended for lawful or illegal use; it will be prohibited per se, treated similar to narcotics.’

Petition
http://softwarelibero.it/progetti/eucd/firme/adesione.php

Description in English of the Italian EUCD-proposal
http://www.softwarelibero.org/progetti/eucd/eucd-in-italia.en.shtml