Hello everybody,

I am happy to share with you that Mr. Pavel Svoboda (EPP CZ) [1], chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has agreed to host a Freedom of Panorama workshop together with Wikimedia on 26 March.

The idea is provide in-depth, academic-level information and analysis on this exotic copyright issue and thereby take away the fear a lot of people here in Brussels have when they hear "exception". Put more simply, on the Wikimedia side we'd like to convey the message that "Freedom of Panorama is not scary and won't hurt you."

The workshop is still in the plannings with the goal to have the invitations go out about one month ahead of the actual event. We're now negotiating the panel participants with Mr. Svoboda's office. The idea would be to have the students from the NYU/HEC EU Regulatory Law Clinic [2], that are preparing an analysis and legal proposal for us, present their findings first and then move on to a 4 speaker panel moderated by Mr. Svoboda himself. For the panel we'll invite someone from high up in the Commission, an industry representative, a copyright/FoP scholar and someone representing architects/authors/photographers.

So far I have three questions/requests for this list:
1. Can you think of or even approach any architect or even an architectural bureau/group that might fully support a universal FoP exception?
2. Can you think of or even approach a copyright professor that has worked on the issue and would like to be part of the event?
3. Should we try to have the annual Wikimedia EU policy strategy meeting (Big Fat Brussels Meeting vol. III) around the event or is everyone too busy then?

Thanks and cheers!
Dimi