January 14, 2015 · Blogs

Germany gets warning about warning letters

Ever since the adoption of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Directive (IPRED) in 2004, and its ensuing transposition into national laws, warning letters based on alleged copyright infringements have become big business for the German content-industry, anti-piracy firms and their affiliated lawyers. From the perspective of hundreds of thousands of internet users, however, they are a nuisance […]

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May 4, 2011

ENDitorial: Defending the Open Internet

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [ENDitorial: Zur Verteidigung des Offenen Internets | http://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.9_ENDitorial_Verteidigung_des_Offenen_Internets] At an event organised by Brussels think-tank Security and Defence Agenda, EDRi’s advocacy coordinator debated freedom and security online with: – Robert Madelin, Director General of DG Information Society of the European Commission, – Erika Mann, Member of the Board […]

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December 5, 2005

Illegal video surveillance on Slovenian motorways

In Slovenia the number of installed surveillance video cameras on the roads is increasing rapidly. Apart from the CCTV systems on sections of so called “smart motorways” – which enable real-time monitoring of important traffic parameters and the informing of drivers via traffic portals – a large number of surveillance video cameras is installed on […]

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April 9, 2003

Draft law promotes free software in Bulgaria

A draft law, currently discussed in parliament in Bulgaria, will oblige all governmental institutions to use free software and open formats with their computer information systems within 2 years. The law addresses all state bodies, mayors of municipalities and regions, higher schools, medical establishments, non-profit legal entities as well as other bodies and entities that […]

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January 5, 2006

End of 5 year struggle against data retention

After 5 years of fighting against plans for mandatary data retention, EDRI is deeply disappointed that a majority in the European Parliament has adopted a law decreeing very broad and long retention of telephony and internet traffic data, with access granted for all sorts of undefined crimes. Please visit the special [Campaign WIKI | http://wiki.dataretentionisnosolution.com] […]

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January 28, 2015 · Blogs

Spanish Citizens’ Security Bill: Many restrictions, few freedoms

In summer 2014, the EDRi-gram reported on the Spanish bill on the Protection of Citizens’ Security, shedding light on some of its most controversial measures. In December 2014, the Spanish Congress passed the Citizens’ Security bill by 181 votes to 141. Now, the bill will be discussed in the Senate until the end of March […]

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April 24, 2013 · Blogs

A Monster from Rome – huge crackdown action on "file-sharing"

In an action that has become known as “A Monster from Rome”, the Italian Public Prosecutor of Rome ordered on 15 April 2013 the blocking of 27 file-sharing related sites at the request of Sunshine Pictures, the Italian distributor of the French animated film “A Monster in Paris”. The list which has been made public […]

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December 20, 2006

ENDitorial: AVMS Directive : TV or not TV – that is the question

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) The discussions on the new Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS) are continuing unabated within the European Union’s institutions. With regards to Internet media, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament are moving in the same direction. The question is how far. The new Directive […]

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January 18, 2006

Evaluation of EU rules on databases

The Directive on the legal protection of Databases was adopted in February 1996. The Directive created a new exclusive ‘sui generis’ right for database producers, valid for 15 years, to protect their investment of time, money and effort, irrespective of whether the database is in itself innovative (“non-original” databases). The European Commission published on 12 […]

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May 7, 2003

New EU legislation on copyright infringements

The European Commission has launched a proposal for a new Directive that aims at no less than harmonising penalties for infringements against copyright laws. 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’ […]

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May 9, 2012

Portugal: Suing users for copyright infringement does not work

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Portugal: Klagen gegen Urheberrechtsverletzer sind zwecklos | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.9_Portugal_Klagen_gegen_Urheberrechtsverletzer_sind_zwecklos?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20120509] In a six-year long case brought by the Portuguese Phonographic Association (Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa -AFP), the Lisbon Criminal Court has recently given a ruling condemning a young men to a 2 month suspended jail sentence and a 880 euro fine. […]

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March 13, 2017 · Blogs

Civil society urges EU institutions to stop the “censorship machine” in the copyright proposal

EDRi has signed a joint open letter together with 27 other civil society organisations expressing concerns about European Commission’s copyright proposal. The proposal requires internet platforms to use automated upload filtering technologies. This obligation would impact negatively on free speech and democracy by building a system where citizens will face internet platforms blocking the upload of […]

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