November 30, 2017 · Blogs | Information democracy | Freedom of expression online

Time to stop the #CensorshipMachine: NOW!

Following the launch of the controversial proposed Copyright Directive in September 2016, the European Parliament and the Member States (gathered in the Council of the European Union) are now developing their positions. Now it’s the time to send a clear message to European Parliament and national governments to oppose the “censorship machine”!

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September 9, 2009 · Blogs

Consultation on how to operate EU's digital library

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Beratungen darüber, wie die digitale Bibliothek der EU geführt werden soll | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1514] The European Commission launched a consultation on 28 August 2009 on EU’s digital library project Europeana, set up in November 2008, in order to find the best way to make the project work. Differently from […]

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July 11, 2018 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Surveillance and data retention

Danish High Court ruling on data retention use and file sharing cases

On 7 May 2018, the Eastern High Court in Denmark delivered a ruling that internet service providers (ISPs) are not required to disclose subscriber information in file sharing cases.

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September 21, 2011

New rules on term of protection of music recordings

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Neue Schutzfristen für Tonaufnahmen | http://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.18_Neue_Schutzfristen_fuer_Tonaufnahmen?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20111004] On 12 September 2011, the Council adopted, by a qualified majority, a Directive that extends the term of protection of the rights of performers and phonogram producers on music recordings from 50 to 70 years. According to the Council press release, the […]

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June 6, 2007

CSS protection used in DVDs is "ineffective"

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) In an unanimous decision on 25 May 2007, the Helsinki District Court ruled that Content Scrambling System (CSS) used in DVD movies is “ineffective”. The decision is the first in Europe to interpret new copyright law amendments, based on EU Copyright Directive of 2001, that bans the […]

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June 4, 2008

BitTorrent tracker sites threatened by draft ACTA agreement

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) A new international trade agreement, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which is now under discussion might strengthen criminal sanctions against BitTorrent tracker sites for exploiting copyright material online. The tracker sites state they do not profit from Internet users sharing music, movies and software, saying that the […]

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June 21, 2006

Court rules Dutch mp3 search engine unlawful

The Dutch Court of Appeals in Amsterdam has ruled that search engine zoekmp3.nl is unlawful. This search engine provided links to mp3-files on the World Wide Web. The court chose not to answer the question whether linking itself to unauthorised mp3-files is an infringement of copyright law. The lower court had found that this was […]

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July 5, 2006

Google's victory in court against German publisher

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) Google has just obtained a significant victory against the German publisher Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft (WBG), having asked an injunction in a German court to stop the giant from scanning books in its Books Library project. WBG dropped their case on 28 June after the judge told them they […]

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December 14, 2011 · Blogs

A fair Internet for all?

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Ein gerechtes Internet für alle? | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.24_Ein_gerechtes_Internet_fuer_alle?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20111218] On 1 December 2011, the European Parliament’s European People’s Party (EPP) group presented their strategy paper “A fair Internet for all – Strengthening Our Citizens’ Rights and Securing a Fair Business Environment in the Internet”. In this webstreamed hearing, the MEPs […]

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March 10, 2010

UK Government to decide on the Internet disconnections and web blocking

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [GB-Regierung entscheidet über Internetsperren und Webblockaden | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1757] Discussions continue in the House of Lords over the controversial Digital Economy Bill especially over Internet disconnections (or account suspension, as the UK Government is calling it now) and web blocking. The draft law would give the power to the […]

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November 8, 2006

Danish ISP forced to block Allofmp3.com

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) A Danish court ruled against the Danish ISP Tele2 and ordered to block all access to the site Allofmp3.com. According to the ruling, the ISP is willingly infringing copyright if its customers use AllofMP3 to download music. IFPI Denmark sued the ISP, Tele2, in July 2006. It […]

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November 8, 2006

Fileshares get different treatment in Europe's courts

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) A few interesting decisions regarding the copyright infringement by fileshares have been taken in the last weeks by courts from different states in Europe. Usage of p2p programms has been considered totally different in decisions in Finland, Sweden and Spain. At the end of October 2006, a […]

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