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French jurisprudence about Google and cybersquatting
Search engine Google has lost an appeal on 10 March 2005 against a French court order to change its advertisement practices. The case about the advertisement practice was instigated by the travel companies Luteciel SARL and Viaticum SA. Competitors bought the search terms ‘bourse des vols’ and ‘bourse des voyages’ (flight exchange and trip exchange) […]
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New defeat for Scientology in Dutch Internet case
The Dutch Attorney-General for the Supreme Court, Verkade, has once more righted internetprovider XS4ALL and author Karin Spaink in their decade long defence against legal attacks by Scientology. In his opinion for the Supreme Court Verkade argues “Although copyright resides under Article 1 of the First Protocol of ECHR and can therefore be regarded as […]
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Italian agreement to fight copyright infringements
The Italian government has closed an agreement with 50 organisations from the music, video, publishing and IT industry to fight copyright infringements by organising public ‘sensibilisation’ campaigns. The agreement was launched on 3 March 2005 during the well-known Sanremo pop music festival. Prepared by three ministers (of Technological Innovation, Culture and Communications) the agreement was […]
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Geneva meeting on access to knowledge
On 3-4 February 2005, more than 60 academics, researchers and scientists, software developers, diplomats, librarians, consumers and representatives of disability and other public interest groups from north and south gathered in Geneva to discuss the WIPO Development Agenda and a draft Treaty on Access to Knowledge (A2K). The meeting was organised by the Consumer Project […]
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Unesco NL recommendations on human rights and Internet
The Netherlands National Commission for Unesco has published Recommendations on human rights and Internet, following a conference held on 4 and 5 February 2005. The recommendation focusses on privacy, the right of freedom of expression and the right to communicate, including access to the vast cultural, educational and scientific heritage of mankind. On privacy, the […]
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Romanian Copyright Office sets fixed fee for online music
The Arbitration Commission of the Romanian Copyright Office (ORDA) has published two remarkable decisions on the price for online music and ring-tones. Romanian internet users will have to pay a fixed annual fee for any music they wish to offer on their website (via streaming or for downloading) of approximately 80 euro (3 million Romanian […]
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Copyright law revision in Switzerland criticised
Civil rights and consumer organisations in Switzerland have severely criticised a proposal to revise the Swiss copyright law. In October 2004 the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property opened a consultation about the revision of the Swiss copyright law and asked for comments until the end of January 2005. The revision mainly concerns the implementation […]
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German library allowed to crack copy protection
The German national library (Deutsche Bibliothek) has negiotated a license with rightholders to legally circumvent copy protection mechanisms on CD-roms, videos, software and E-books. It seems this is the first library in Europe to have managed a voluntary agreement on the strict new anti-circumvention rules prescribed by the EU copyright directive of 2001 (2001/29/EC). Article […]
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New Council of Europe committee on human rights and internet
The Council of Europe is working on a new declaration or recommendation on human rights and internet. An ad-hoc committee of experts on the information society has been meeting for the first time in November 2004, and will have a second meeting in Strasbourg on 3 and 4 February 2005. The Council does not provide […]
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EU Court confirms Commission's decision against Microsoft
The EU Court of First Instance has entirely dismissed Microsoft’s objections to a set of sanctions against the software giant by the EU Commission. The Court rules that the Commission’s decision does not “cause serious and irreparable damage” to Microsoft. Microsoft requested an interim measure from the Court that would hold up the Commission’s decision […]
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EU court to decide on Microsoft appeal
The EU’s Court of First Instance will decide between 18 and 20 December whether to suspend the Commission’s sanctions against Microsoft. In March 2004 Microsoft got a record fine of 497 million euro after a five-year investigation by the Competition Commissioner into Microsoft’s business practice. The Commission also ordered Microsoft to offer a version of […]
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Comments on Unesco convention on cultural diversity
The Unesco is working on a draft convention on cultural diversity, the Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions. The draft contains many references to copyright, intellectual property rights and access to information. On 15 November 2004 the campaign for Communication Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) has presented […]
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