May 29, 2012

ACTA: European Commission negotiation failures

The documents made public today provide an extensive guide to the failures of the European Commission to negotiate effectively on behalf of European citizens and businesses. They also provide an insight into the ways in which the Commission’s public relations “spin”; seeks to hide these failures. Meeting notes Paris 2008 Meeting notes Rabat 2009 Meeting […]

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September 9, 2009

European Commission hearing on Google Books Settlement

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Anhörung der Europäische Kommission über die Google Books-Einigung | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1509] The EU Google Books hearing highlighted some very serious concerns with the settlement, but mainly from a rights holder point of view. The hearing itself addressed two quite distinct sets of issues; firstly concerns of EU rights holders […]

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June 20, 2012

Spanish Supreme Court says Google is not breaching copyright

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Spanien: Google verstößt nicht gegen Urheberrecht | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.12_Spanien_Google_verstoesst_nicht_gegen_Urheberrecht?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20120620] The Spanish Supreme Court ruled on 3 April 2012 that Google was not in breach of copyright with its browser and cache services. The ruling was given in a case filed in 2006 by the owner of a web page […]

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November 18, 2009

Spain will not apply a three strikes law

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Spanien wird kein Drei-Treffer-Gesetz anwenden | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1586] As a ray of sunshine in a European environment favouring the disconnection of Internet users downloading allegdly copyrighted material, Spain (that will hold the EU Presidency from 1 January 2010) and Germany have decided not to join France and UK in […]

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August 28, 2013 · Blogs

"Right to Remix": Initiative for a European Copyright Reform

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [“Right to Remix”: Initiative für eine Reform des Urheberrechts in Europa | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.16_Right_to_Remix_Initiative_fuer_eine_Reform_des_Urheberrechts_in_Europa?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130828] On its website right2remix.org, the German civil rights organisation EDRi member Digitale Gesellschaft e. V. calls on European policy-makers to adopt remix rights in the European copyright legislation and invites everyone to submit a link […]

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December 15, 2010

ENDitorial: WIPO SCCR 21 session

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [ENDitorial: WIPO SCCR 21 Meeting | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2445] The present text is a report from the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights 21st meeting in Geneva, Switzerland (SCCR 21). In this report, the debate on the Broadcasting Organizations’ protection (except for the NGO statements) is not included due […]

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July 5, 2006

New French copyright law gives Apple satisfaction

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) The most controversial DADVSI Law, now colloquially known also as “iTunes Law”, was finally adopted in the French Parliament with a compromise allowing Apple to continue operating as before. The law was adopted by the Parliament under emergency regime, which ended with a mixed commission, normally made […]

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July 16, 2008

Copiepresse attacks EC for copyright infringement, but gets dismissed

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) The Belgium newspaper Association Copiepresse has initiated a legal complaint against the European Commission (EC) arguing that it infringes its copyright through the NewsBrief and NewsExplorer aggregation services. Copiepresse became famous for its copyright suit against Google and other search engines claiming copyright infringement over the aggregation […]

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October 8, 2008

RapidShare needs to check every file for copyright infringement

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) A Hamburg court in Germany has ruled that the free file-hosting service RapidShare.de is not doing enough to combat piracy, so they should check content for copyright infringement before it is made available on the Internet . The decision was given in the legal conflict between RapidShare […]

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February 13, 2013 · Blogs

Ancillary copyright law under discussion in Germany

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Deutschland: Debatte um Leistungsschutzrecht | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.3_Deutschland_Debatte_um_Leistungsschutzrecht?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130224] The Judiciary Committee of the German Bundestag held on 30 January 2013 an expert hearing on the proposed “Leistungsschutzrecht” (LRS, known also as “ancillary copyright”) law for news publishers which will require search engines and others to ask permission from news publishers […]

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February 13, 2013 · Blogs

ENDitorial: Licences for Europe and fight club… only one rule

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [ENDitorial: Europäische Lizenzen und der Fight Club … es gibt nur eine Regel | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.3_ENDitorial_Europaeische_Lizenzen_und_der_Fight_Club?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130224] There was a moment in November 2012 when even the most cynical observers of the European Commission were hopeful of an effective reform of copyright. Commissioner Barnier gave a speech where he demonstrated […]

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November 19, 2008

ENDitorial: An overheated debate on the rights of the visually impaired

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) The agenda of the 17th Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, that took place between 3-7 November 2008 at the WIPO headquarters in Geneva, included the following topics: the limitations and exceptions, the protection of audiovisual performances and the protection of broadcasting organizations. In particular, the […]

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