May 20, 2009

Lucky win for the Swiss biometric passports

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Glücklicher Sieg für biometrische Pässe in der Schweiz | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1402] A referendum that took place in Switzerland on Sunday, 17 May 2009 was in favour of the biometric passports law by a very narrow margin. Thus the official results show that 50.14% of the voters approved the law, […]

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May 20, 2009

Another open door for software patents in EU

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Noch eine offene Tür für Softwarepatente in der EU | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1409] A new international treaty United Patent Litigation System (UPLS) that may create an centralised trusted patent court is the new open door for software patents in the European Union. The draft UPLS is inspired from the now […]

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May 20, 2009

French courts give clear decisions for hosted content

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Französisches Gericht trifft klare Entscheidungen bei gehosteten Inhalten | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1403] Several decisions taken by the French courts lately recognize the principle of non-liablilty of some web 2.0 sites for the content hosted. The new interpretation is putting things back on track, after some earlier strange decisions of the […]

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May 20, 2009

UK creative industries want the disconnection of file sharers

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Britische Kreativindustrien fordern die Ausschaltung von Filesharern | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1404] An alliance of eight UK creative industries and five trade unions want the government to force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to disconnect persistent alleged illegal file sharers from the Internet and have issued a set of “urgent recommendations” they […]

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June 3, 2009

The French Government wants to spy on electronic communications

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Französische Regierung will elektronische Kommunikationen überwachen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1413] Macedonian: [Француската влада сака да шпионира ел.. | http://www.metamorphosis.org.mk/edri/francuskata-vlada-saka-da-shpionira-elektronski-komunikacii.html] On 27 May 2009, the law on orientation and programming for the performance of the domestic security (Loppsi) was presented by Michèle Alliot-Marie to the French Council of Ministers. The law […]

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June 3, 2009

Pressure of the record companies on The Pirate Bay

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Plattenfirmen setzen The Pirate Bay unter Druck | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1414] Macedonian: [Издавачките куќи вршат притисок врз Pirate Bay | http://www.metamorphosis.org.mk/edri/izdavachkite-kukji-vrshat-pritisok-vrz-pirate-bay.html] The Swedish court has denied the request of four major record companies to fine The Pirate Bay (TPB) for being still operational. At the middle of May 2009, Universal, […]

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June 3, 2009

Open source supporters criticize European govts for favouring MS

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Open Source-Verfechter kritisieren Europäische Regierungen für die Bevorzugung von MS | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1415] Macedonian: [Поборниците за слободен софтвер ги.. | http://www.metamorphosis.org.mk/edri/pobornicite-za-sloboden-softver-gi-kritikuvaat-evropskite-vladi-za-favoriziranje-na-majkrosoft.html] Recent governmental plans in several European countries to buy proprietary software for public administration or education have caused concerns over the methods used and the lack of public […]

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June 3, 2009

DRI against the Irish law on the interception of communications

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [DRI gegen das irische Gesetz zur Kommunikationsabhörung | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1416] Digital Rights Ireland has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission against Ireland over the Irish law on the interception of communications. The Irish law, which is governed by the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) […]

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June 3, 2009

French Government hurries to put HADOPI law into application

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Französische Regierung drängt auf Umsetzung des HADOPI-Gesetzes | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1417] No sooner has the three strikes law been adopted that the French government issued CCAPs (special administrative specifications) and CCTPs (special technical specifications) which were sent by the Ministry of Culture to the candidate enterprises to put into function […]

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June 3, 2009

WIPO: Visually impaired treaty proposal

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [WIPO: Antrag auf ein Abkommen für Sehbehinderte | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1418] The WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) met from 25 to 29 May in Geneva. This time, the main points on the agenda were the survey on limitations and exceptions and the visually impaired treaty proposal […]

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June 3, 2009

EU will examine Google Books project

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EU wird Googles Buchprojekt prüfen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1419] Macedonian: [ЕУ ќе го преиспита проектот Google Books | http://metamorphosis.org.mk/edri/eu-kje-go-preispita-proektot-google-books.html] The German delegation submitted at the European Council meeting held in Brussels on 28 and 29 May 2009, an information note asking EU to take action against Google’s online library project, […]

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June 3, 2009

Deutsche Telecom investigating the sexual life of job applicants

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Deutsche Telekom untersucht das Sexualleben von Stellenbewerber | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1420] According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, Deutsche Telecom was keeping records about personal details of job applicants, including details about their sexual life. Similar records on potential employees were also kept in Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary. An anonymous security […]

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