Europe Says No To Anti-Piracy Laws
By Christopher Nickson
April 14, 2008
It's not a legally binding decision, so countries will go ahead anyway, but Members of the European Parliament to ban persistent illegal file-sharers from Net access.
It was a tight vote, but last Thursday MEPs – Members of the European Parliament – decided against the idea of banning persistent illegal file sharers from having Net access, saying it would create a problem with “civil liberties and human rights.”
That favored an amendment to the Bono Report on the Cultural Industries (no, not penned by the U2 frontman, but French MEP Guy Bono). However, it brings MEPs into direct conflict with the governments of individual countries, several of whom seem determined to tackle piracy head-on. However, as the European Parliament decision isn’t legally binding on member countries, it doesn’t stop them carrying out their plans, either.
France has already announced it will turn ISPs into spies, forcing them to pass on information about file sharers. The government will then issue warnings or request that the offenders’ Net access be terminated. In Britain the government has tentatively floated similar plans, but ISPs rave refused to do their part.
As to the vote by MEPs, a spokesman for the European Parliament told the BBC,
"The vote shows that MEPs want to strike a balance between the interests of rights holders and those of consumers, and that big measures like cutting off internet access shouldn't be used."