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!
Dimi
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 Meanwhile several major non-for-profits, like Communia and the Open Knowledge Foundation, have withdrawn from the work group on text and data mining, complaining mainly about the narrow scope of discussions.
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http://www.ifrro.org/content/german-draft-proposal-legislation-orphan-and-out-commerce-works
#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.
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#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.
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#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.
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#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]
http://euobserver.com/news/120456
[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
On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 3:37 AM, Dimitar Dimitrov < dimitar.dimitrov@wikimedia.de> wrote:
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.
Hi, Dimitar- I'd be curious to hear more about this. Any pointers or links? Thanks!
Luis
Hi Luis,
About the mid-term reports on all four work groups, I can tell you more on Friday, as they're beeing presented tomorrow.
About the withdrawals from the text and data mining work group, there is a short Communia article on it [1] and the letter sent to the European Commission is also published [2].
Furthermore, I am in touch with somebody from Open Forum Europe [3], who has been participating in this work group. If you have any questions I'd be happy to ask for you or even just make the connection.
Dimi
[1] http://www.communia-association.org/2013/05/25/research-sector-smes-civil-so... [2] http://www.libereurope.eu/sites/default/files/Letter_of_withdrawalL4E_TDM_Ma... [3] http://www.openforumeurope.org/
2013/7/2 Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org
On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 3:37 AM, Dimitar Dimitrov < dimitar.dimitrov@wikimedia.de> wrote:
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.
Hi, Dimitar- I'd be curious to hear more about this. Any pointers or links? Thanks!
Luis
-- Luis Villa Deputy General Counsel Wikimedia Foundation 415.839.6885 ext. 6810
NOTICE: *This message may be confidential or legally privileged. If you have received it by accident, please delete it and let us know about the mistake. As an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation, for legal/ethical reasons I cannot give legal advice to, or serve as a lawyer for, community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity.*
Advocacy_Advisors mailing list Advocacy_Advisors@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy_advisors
On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 11:54 PM, Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov < dimitar.parvanov.dimitrov@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Luis,
About the mid-term reports on all four work groups, I can tell you more on Friday, as they're beeing presented tomorrow.
About the withdrawals from the text and data mining work group, there is a short Communia article on it [1] and the letter sent to the European Commission is also published [2].
That was my main interest (though I am also curious about the rest); thank you for sending the links.
Speaking for myself and not necessarily for WMF, I think that the Wikimedia movement has an important role to play in copyright reform, since we are the biggest and most high-profile example of how a broader information commons can benefit everyone. I'm just not sure how we get there yet :) So I'm very curious about what other similar groups are doing.
Furthermore, I am in touch with somebody from Open Forum Europe [3], who has been participating in this work group. If you have any questions I'd be happy to ask for you or even just make the connection.
I would be happy to be introduced! That said, I of course can't promise much - we need more consensus here before taking any actions.
Thanks- Luis
Dimi
[1] http://www.communia-association.org/2013/05/25/research-sector-smes-civil-so... [2] http://www.libereurope.eu/sites/default/files/Letter_of_withdrawalL4E_TDM_Ma... [3] http://www.openforumeurope.org/
2013/7/2 Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org
On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 3:37 AM, Dimitar Dimitrov < dimitar.dimitrov@wikimedia.de> wrote:
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.
Hi, Dimitar- I'd be curious to hear more about this. Any pointers or links? Thanks!
Luis
-- Luis Villa Deputy General Counsel Wikimedia Foundation 415.839.6885 ext. 6810
NOTICE: *This message may be confidential or legally privileged. If you have received it by accident, please delete it and let us know about the mistake. As an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation, for legal/ethical reasons I cannot give legal advice to, or serve as a lawyer for, community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity.*
Advocacy_Advisors mailing list Advocacy_Advisors@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy_advisors
Advocacy_Advisors mailing list Advocacy_Advisors@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/advocacy_advisors
2013/7/4 Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org
On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 11:54 PM, Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov < dimitar.parvanov.dimitrov@gmail.com> wrote:
Speaking for myself and not necessarily for WMF, I think that the Wikimedia
movement has an important role to play in copyright reform, since we are the biggest and most high-profile example of how a broader information commons can benefit everyone. I'm just not sure how we get there yet :) So I'm very curious about what other similar groups are doing.
Yes, it's quite tricky and we need to hammer out at least some details (for the entire movement). Right now, the best we can do is monitor closely, set red flags and then hope to get to a consensus.
By the way, there is also some interest in open research datahttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/news/ec-public-consultation-open-research-data-2-july-brusselsby the EU. I missed the initial consultation, but I am planning to follow the proceeding closely.
I would be happy to be introduced! That said, I of course can't promise much - we need more consensus here before taking any actions.
Great, the meeting is today and I will get in touch with you later to make some introductions.
Dimi
publicpolicy@lists.wikimedia.org