[governance] FW: [A2k] keeping an eye on IP enforcement/ISP liability in Europe: good news from Sweden

Parminder parminder at itforchange.net
Sun Mar 16 01:00:53 EDT 2008


> I believe what is being suggested here (the underlying article is
> unfortunately only in Swedish) is that Internet access (in Sweden and thus
> by implication in all Developed Countries) should be treated as a a
> service
> fundamental to public well-being ("imperative welfare"), presumably on the
> order of areas such as fresh water and clean air rather than on the order
> of
> a discretionary service such as for example cable television or a bank
> account.
>

Thanks Mike for pointing to this...

Something to reflect on why would this formulation first arise in a
developed country when 'digital divide' is considered really an issue of
developing countries. It is strange that when public connectivity
infrastructure (Muni-wifi) is becoming such an important thing in the North,
policy prescription for the South is still markets, markets and more markets
for an 'IS for all'. This prescription is pushed through donor agencies,
including many international NGOs, through control over purse strings, as
well as a superior capacity to theorize, write out and push policy and
practice frameworks for ICTD. 

It is a bit ironic that such a 'welfarist' formulation comes first from a
government, that too of the North (with lesser social equity issues) rather
than civil society, which is normally considered a progressive force. 

I am quite sure there will be little or no discussion on this issue here,
even with this lead. Some may just not be bothered. Others will use the
argument that it is not a core governance issue. I will like this to be
debated here. How whether Internet is seen essentially as a market
infrastructure, or it is seen as something 'fundamental to public well
being' not impact the nature of its governance systems is really beyond me. 

Meanwhile, mentions of public/ community infrastructure keep disappearing
(even after it is put there with a lot of effort in the first place) from
IGF's agenda. It happened in Athens, and Hyderabad's program details are
already showing the same tendencies. And we the IGC - the CS front in IG
area - are hardly concerned. No discussion, no talk about it. But the moment
anyone tries to posit basic governance issue like managing CIRs as important
issue for IGF, such strong sentiment wells up to tell us that governance
issues are not the real thing, access is. It is more than a bit funny.
(sorry, for the sarcasm, but I really feel very bad about it.)

And the problem is that any effort to discuss such substantive issues - of
what we stand for, whom we present - immediately comes up against either
allegations of 'trying to get exclusive', causing distraction, or plainly,
what Meryem called as 'inertia games. 

I think we cant really be arguing on who should we nominate for MAG, how
many seats we should get etc without internally examining who we are, what
and whom do we represent, why should we be seen as the major CS front in IG
area... and such.

I would think, it is hypocritical to speak about increased representation on
the MAG without at all examining these issues. We must be alive to a
possible view that we may just be illegitimately occupying a CS vacuum in
the IG space, and trying to further consolidate the advantage.

Parminder 






> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Gurstein [mailto:gurstein at gmail.com]
> Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 11:04 PM
> To: governance at lists.cpsr.org
> Subject: [governance] FW: [A2k] keeping an eye on IP enforcement/ISP
> liability in Europe: good news from Sweden
> 
> This does I think, have significant implications for "Internet
> governance"...including changing the status in policy terms of exactly
> what
> is being "governed"...
> 
> I believe what is being suggested here (the underlying article is
> unfortunately only in Swedish) is that Internet access (in Sweden and thus
> by implication in all Developed Countries) should be treated as a a
> service
> fundamental to public well-being ("imperative welfare"), presumably on the
> order of areas such as fresh water and clean air rather than on the order
> of
> a discretionary service such as for example cable television or a bank
> account.
> 
> MG
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: a2k-admin at lists.essential.org [mailto:a2k-admin at lists.essential.org]
> On Behalf Of Vera Franz
> Sent: March 14, 2008 7:59 AM
> To: ipr&publicdomain; a2k discuss list
> Subject: [A2k] keeping an eye on IP enforcement/ISP liability in Europe:
> good news from Sweden
> 
> "The proposal in the Renfors-review that ISPs should be given the right
> and
> be forced to shut down subscribers whose Internet subscription has
> repeatedly been used for infringing copyrights has met with strong
> criticism. Many have noted that shutting down an Internet subscription is
> a
> wide-reaching measure that could have serious repercussions in a society
> where access to the Internet is an imperative welfare-issue. The
> government
> has, because of this, decided not to pursue this proposal."
> 
> ---Swedish Minister of Justice Beatrice Ask & Swedish Minister of Culture
> Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth in today's Swedens Daily.
> http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/artikel_972903.svd
> 
> --
> Vera Franz
> Program Manager
> Information Program
> <www.soros.org/ip>
> Open Society Foundation
> 100, Cambridge Grove
> London W6 0LE
> phone +44 20 7031 0219
> fax +44 20 7031 0247
> 
> 
> 
> 
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