tl;dr
In June, NSA PRISM news have had a firm grip on public and political attention in Brussels, resulting in a loss of focus on several relevant proceedings. July is expected to be hotter, as a lot of work will be rushed through before the break in August.
As we’re experimenting with the best possible format, the articles in this report will be kept shorter than in the previous one. Feedback appreciated.
In the coming weeks the EU Policy Portal [1] on Meta will be further developed to reflect current ongoings and become a topical information hub. Keep an eye on it!
1. Licenses for Europe - Turbulences and Midterm Reports
2. Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership - Audiovisual Exception Adopted by EP
3. EU Data Protection - LIBE Committee Vote Postponed
4. Network Neutrality - Commissioner Kroes Expected to Propose Legislation
5. Future of Copyright Contest - A Way to Share Your Vision
#L4e
Licenses for Europe - Stakeholder Dialogue on Copyright Reform
What’s this?
The European Commission is organising a dialogue on the planned future copyright reform. [2] A legislation proposal can be expected during the first half of 2014.
Why should we care?
Copyright is our core issue. At first, there were some hopes that new fair use exceptions might come through, now there is considerable risk of harsher copyright enforcement rules. Some harmonisation is still on the table, which would make the use of cultural goods across the EU much easier.
What’s going on?
The midterm report for the four work groups will be presented July 4th. Meanwhile several major non-for-profits, like Communia and the Open Knowledge Foundation, have withdrawn from the work group on text and data mining, complaining mainly about the narrow scope of discussions.
-----------------
-----------------
#TTIP
European Parliament votes in favour of “cultural exception”
What’s this?
A trade agreement between the EU and the US (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). The negotiations are in their initial phase.
Why should we care?
An intellectual property rights chapter is set to be included in the agreement. This would cascade into acting copyright legislation and could de facto create new, unchangeable rules.
What’s going on?
The European Parliament voted, following pressure by French cinematic organisations, to keep cultural and audiovisiual services out of the negotiations. This explicitly includes online offers. How far this will limit the IPR part of the agreement is still unclear.
Meanwhile digital civil rights organisations are still fighting to have the negotiations conducted in public, with little to no success so far. Simultaneously, there have been calls to put the negotiations on hold due to information regarding the PRISM project.
-----------------
-----------------
#EUdataP
Lead Committee on Data Protection Regulation Postpones Vote
What’s this?
A major crossroads moment in European legislation, that could very well set the standard for coming decades. The ideological fault-lines run along very strict or very liberal data protection rules. A common ground is not visible.
Why should we care?
As content providers, it is important to be well informed about regulations and implementations and possible risks they might bear for the information we use and edit.
What’s going on?
As this is one of the most controversial topics and a massive lobbying battle, the lead committee in the European Parliament (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) has postponed the vote on its final report. The new target date will be in September or October 2013.
-----------------
-----------------
#Netneutrality
Information Society and Media Commissioner Neelie Kroes Moves Towards Network Neutrality
What’s this?
The idea that all services should be equally accessible with any internet connection has been debated on the EU level for years. Initially, Commissioner Kroes did not seem to fully embrace the idea. Now, however, she seems resolute to bring forward a serious legislation proposal this year.
Why should we care?
We are interested in having all our projects accessible everywhere and by everyone. Such legislation will aim to enshrine this basic internet principle as a universal rule. However, this would also mean that free-of-charge access to some services would be disallowed. This could include possible free access to Wikipedia by mobile phone operators, for instance.
What’s going on?
Commissioner Kroes’ proposals are expected to address throttling or blocking of services by internet providers. Currently 1 in 5 mobile internet connections in Europe restrict or favour certain services, according to the European Consumers’ Organisation. If the Commission tables a network neutrality legislation proposal, it is likely to be fast-tracked through the European Parliament, as MEPs have already twice urged the Commission to take such a step.
-----------------
-----------------
#Copyright2.0
Modern Poland Foundation is Looking for Copyright Reform Ideas
Share your arguments how copyright should be reformed and what it should look like in the future. This is a crowd-funded contest aiming to help stir up global discussion on the topic. Submission deadline is end of July. [3]
[1] http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_Policy
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/licences-for-europe-dialogue/en/content/about-site
[3] http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/future-of-copyright-contest-2-0