Die EFF geht nach Brüssel.
EFFector Vol. 20, No. 6 February 6, 2007 editor@xxxxxxx
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424
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* EFF Tackles New Role in Europe
EFF Europe Office Opens in Brussels
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
opened a new office in Brussels yesterday to work with
various institutions of the European Union (EU) on
innovation and digital rights, acting as a watchdog for the
public interest in intellectual property and civil
liberties policy initiatives that impact the European
digital environment.
The new EFF Europe office, made possible by the generous
support of the Open Society Institute and Mr. Mark
Shuttleworth of the Shuttleworth Foundation, will allow EFF
to have an increased focus on the development of EU law.
EFF also plans to expand its efforts in European digital
activism and looks forward to working with many groups and
organizations to fight effectively for consumers' and
technologists' interests. EFF's new European Affairs
Coordinator, Erik Josefsson, will be an on-the-ground
analyst, activist, and educator about critical intellectual
property and civil liberties issues.
"In a networked world, protecting innovation and digital
rights must be a global effort," Josefsson said. "We hope
this new office in Brussels will increase awareness of
European developments and enrich the policy debate."
Josefsson was previously the president of the Swedish
chapter of Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure
(FFII.se). FFII was instrumental in defeating the proposed
Software Patents Directive, which would have brought an
expanded software patent scheme to Europe. Josefsson has
also worked with European Digital Rights (EDRI) and other
European groups in fighting against the European
Parliament's adoption of the Data Retention Directive,
which threatens to undo the existing pro-consumer privacy
protections in Europe. In recent months, Josefsson has been
part of a team of committed FFII activists opposing the
proposed second Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement
Directive (IPRED2), which will impose harsh criminal
sanctions and prison terms for violation of intellectual
property rights, stifling technical innovation and
imperiling consumers if not amended.
"Europe is at the forefront of policy developments that
threaten Internet users' freedom, from unwarranted
copyright term extension to mandatory data retention," said
EFF International Affairs Director Gwen Hinze. "We welcome
the valuable European educational and activism expertise
that Erik brings to EFF Europe, and we are excited about
this new opportunity to represent the public interest in
the formative stages of European policy development."
Josefsson will be supported in EFF's San Francisco office
by Danny O'Brien, EFF's Activism Coordinator, whose past
experience includes digital rights work in the United
Kingdom. Josefsson will be succeeded as president of FFII
Sweden by Jonas Bosson, who was one of the founders of the
organization and will continue to fight new attempts to
make software patents enforceable in Europe.
For more on EFF Europe:
<http://www.eff.org/global/europe/>
For this release:
<http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2007_02.php#005111>
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Thomas Roessler <roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>