April 12, 2007 · Blogs

Free-DRM music by iTunes, but EC starts official investigation

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) EMI and Apple announced in the beginning of April 2007 that EMI Music’s entire digital catalogue of music will be available for purchase without DRM from the iTunes worldwide in May. This is also the result of several complaints from consumer advocates and European Commission (EC) officials […]

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April 23, 2008

ENDitorial: Will France Introduce the Digital Guillotine in Europe?

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) Ever since DADVSI, the French implementation of the European Copyright Directive, Internet users in France have faced increasingly disproportionate threats of punishment for claims of copyright infringement. The latest scheme promoted by the content industry against unauthorized sharing of music and films on Internet is called “flexible […]

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December 1, 2010

Lack of net neutrality and open standards threaten the web

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Mangel an Netzneutralität und Open Standards gefährdet das Netz | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2398] “The Web is critical not merely to the digital revolution but to our continued prosperity-and even our liberty. Like democracy itself, it needs defending.” This is the subtitle of a recent article of Tim Berners-Lee published in […]

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December 1, 2010

ENDItorial: EC Internal Security Strategy – My dog is a cat

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [ENDitorial: EU-Strategie der Inneren Sicherheit – Mein Hund ist eine Katze | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2399] The European Commission (EC) recently published its “Internal Security Strategy” – a wide-ranging security programme covering international crime networks, radicalisation, cybersecurity, border management and crisis/disaster management. One almost amusing element is how it included “piracy” […]

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June 21, 2006

Swedish torrent website Pirate Bay returns back home

At the end of May, the Swedish Police raided the location where the PirateBay.org website was located and shut down the site seizing several servers. However, after less than 1 month, the site, which is considered the world’s biggest BitTorrent tracker being visited by 10 million to 15 million daily users, resumes its activity from […]

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June 20, 2007

PCDA brings a major change in the WIPO mandate

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) During 11-15 June 2007, the Provisional Committee on Proposals for a WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) Development Agenda (PCDA) had meetings during which WIPO members negotiated agreements on several proposals for new activities of the UN organization. “This is a major achievement. It’s a complete overhaul of […]

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January 26, 2011

European Commission concerned over illegal eavesdropping in Bulgaria

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Europäische Kommission besorgt über illegale Abhöraktionen in Bulgarien | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2552] Based on a request for access to public information, Dnevnik daily newspaper has been able to access and publish information showing that a third of the wiretaps in Bulgaria have no proper legal coverage, being performed without an […]

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July 19, 2006

UK ID card scheme heading to failure

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) Reports by The Sunday Times newspaper revealed an apparent failure of the UK plans for ID cards resulting from an exchange of emails between David Foord, the ID card project director at the Office of Government Commerce, and Peter Smith, the acting commercial director of the Identity […]

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July 30, 2008

France pushes for ISPs' involvement in fighting illegal file sharing

Christine Albanel, the French Minister of Culture and Communication, has gathered her European homologues for an informal meeting in Versailles on 21 and 22 July 2008 in an attempt to push the French Hadopi law model to be embraced by Europe. Some of the main issues approached during the meeting were piracy, telecommunications reform, the […]

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January 18, 2012

The US pressure on Spain to censor the Internet has paid off

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Internetzensur: Einflussnahme der USA auf Spanien macht sich bezahlt | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.1_Internetzensur_Einflussnahme_der_USA_auf_Spanien_macht_sich_bezahlt?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20120127] The US has continued to pressure Spain since 2008 to adopt measures against users allegedly illegally downloading copyrighted music and movies from file-sharing networks. And now this pressure has paid off; the Spanish Congress approved at the […]

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March 10, 2010

EDRi sends open letter to EU Commissioners to oppose Internet blocking

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EDRi sendet offenen Brief an die EU-Kommission und lehnt Internetblockaden ab | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1755] EDRi’s letter was sent to Commissioners Cecilia Malmström (Home Affairs), Viviane Reding (Justice and Fundamental Rights) and Neelie Kroes (Digital Agenda). The letter congratulates the Commissioners for their nominations and approval in their new portfolios. […]

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January 24, 2018 · Blogs | Information democracy | Digital rights in trade agreements | Freedom of expression online

Romania: Culture Ministry rallies copyright lobbyists

On 17 January 2018, the Romanian Ministry of Culture organised a debate on the EU copyright reform proposal. With the room full with about fifty participants, three quarters were representing press publishers, record labels and collective management associations. It seemed almost like a full-fledged campaign meeting organised for and by traditional newspapers and rightsholders organisations […]

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