[FYI] EU anti-piracy directive heads for final vote
<http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39147407,00.htm>
EU anti-piracy directive heads for final vote
Matthew Broersma
ZDNet UK
February 26, 2004, 12:05 GMT
Following approval by a parliamentary committee, a controversial
intellectual property directive is headed for a fast-track vote next
month
A proposed European Union law strengthening enforcement capabilities
against intellectual-property violations has been approved by the
European Parliament's judicial affairs committee (JURI), paving the
way for a fast-track vote next month, despite harsh criticism from
civil liberties groups.
[...]
The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure, a Europe-wide
digital rights group, criticised the directive's proposal to make
harsh measures available for all alleged intellectual property
infringements, potentially including individual acts by end users.
"We are talking about unannounced dawn raids by private security
firms, piling in with legal authority and seizing entire computer
systems and filing cabinets full of documents," said FFII's UK
coordinator, James Heald, in a statement. "That is a terrifying and
destructive experience for a small firm."
[...]
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