Europe Seeks Tighter Online Laws
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Trying to outlaw using fake information to open e-mail accounts or set up websites, some European nations could run afoul of privacy advocates. By the Associated Press.
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(InfoWorld) - In a surprise move, the European Commission said Wednesday it is shelving plans to overhaul Europeâs rules on copyright fees, after intense lobbying from France and from groups representing artists and authors. The Commission, the executive body of the European Union, was planning to replace the patchwork of national rules with a Europe-wide code designed to better suit the digital age. Presently most countries impose copyright levies on a wide range of products, from photocopiers to mobile phones, and including recordable formats such as CD-Rs, blank cassettes and even paper. The size of levies varies widely from country to country. Only the U.K., Ireland, and Luxembourg do not impose any such levies. Copyright levies are supposed to compensate artists and authors who donât receive any payment when their copyrighted music, documents, or pictures are duplicated by consumers. The Commission wanted to harmonize the rules and scrap levies on most hardware. Its aim was to reduce the fees, which in some cases increase the price of goods dramatically. For example, in Spain consumers have to pay almost â¬300 ($398) in levies when they buy an 80GB MP3 player; in Austria the equivalent charge is just â¬8, according to the Copyright Levies Reform Alliance (CLRA), a coalition of businesses dedicated to harmonizing and lowering copyright fees in Europe. The Commission said it was abandoning the rule change for now. It had planned to publish a proposal before the end of this year. âMore reflection is needed on this complex issue,â spokeswoman Pia AhrenKilde Hansen told journalists. She wouldnât give a new timetable for the legal proposal. She acknowledged that the French prime minister Dominique de Villepin had written to the Commission earlier this month, urging it to drop the plan but she insisted that the Commission will decide for itself when the proposal will be launched. The Commission has been planning to harmonize copyright levies across the E.U. since 2000. Since then the case for scrapping most levies has grown stronger. Digital rights management software, which allows copyright owners to track the copying of their works, has become commonplace. The Commissionâs climb down sparked an angry reaction from the companies and industry groups pushing for a change to the system. âEuropean industry is deeply disturbed by the European Commissionâs apparent about-face on the planned reform of copyright levies,â said Mark McGann, spokesman for the CLRA in a statement issued Wednesday. âWith this decision, it is clear to industry that the Commission has abandoned any serious efforts to establish transparency, efficiency and fairness in the way these levies are set, collected and distributed,â he added, warning that without the revamp of copyright levies, several large European companies now intend to file official complaints with the Commission that will likely result in a wave of infringement procedures against certain member states. âThe reform of copyright levies would then move from the European executive to the European Court of Justice,â CLRA said in its statement.
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European Union countries are doing too  little to enforce EU rules banning unsolicited emails, or spam,  which are becoming increasingly fraudulent and criminal, the  European Commission said on Monday.
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Google is being investigated by the European Union over possible violation of the bloc's privacy rules. At issue is the search engine's practice of retaining user information for up to two years.
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John Reid says new measures to protect children online - including a parental alarm - are to be unveiled.
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A European Union probe triggered by concerns over how long Google stores user information has widened to include all Internet search engines.
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The European Commission said Thursday it would draw up plans to boost the online market for music, films and games while promising to uphold intellectual property rights.
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Crackdown on online fraud produces more than 100 legal actions in Europe, Middle East.
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Some European countries are proposing outlawing the use of fake information to open e-mail accounts or set up Web sites, a move intended to help terror investigations but which could face resistance on a privacy-conscious continent.
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A proposed law would require companies to keep detailed data about peopleâs Internet and phone use that goes beyond a European Union directive.
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Authors and composers have until July  9 to comment on proposed new EU rules loosening restrictive  territorial contracts for copyright registration on the  Internet, satellite and cable retransmission of music.
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Making many laws one The European Commission will overhaul European contract law to make internet selling easier, more reliable and more efficient.â¦
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PARIS -- Adolescent violence linked to video-upload sites on the Internet is inspiring governments around the world to crack down on cyber-bullying, with arrests, fines, and jail sentences.
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The EU Council of Ministers has today approved plans for âSafer Internet Plusâ - a programme designed to make the internet safer for children by tackling illegal, unwanted and harmful content â-ncluding spam â - to promote awareness.
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The European Commission unveils plans to make people feel safer buying things online from other countries.
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Safer Internet Plus, the four-year program proposed by the European Commission in March, will have a budget of $60 million to combat illegal and harmful Web content.
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Politicians and trade officials are still pressuring the nation to shut down "illegal" Web sites and to align its intellectual property laws with "international standards."