[governance] European Parliament Shifts Stance on Disconnecting Illegal Filesharers

[Jeffrey A. Williams]

All,

  Seems that the EU is not socially friendly...

  The European Parliament has removed an amendment to its
telecommunications legislation that would have made it difficult for
member countries to cut off Internet service to file sharing copyright
violators without a court order.  The European parliament earlier
indicated it viewed Internet access as a basic human right.  Now member
countries will have the leeway to make their own decisions about
punishments for illegal filesharing.  France has already adopted a
three-strikes policy that would allow illegal filesharers to be cut off
from the Internet for as long as one year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8322308.stm
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/14225/comms/eu-in-web-u-turn-to-allow-member-states-to-ban-illegal-file-sharers

My opinion on this diatribe is of course well known, as is our
INEGroup members position.  Basically we do not agree that the
Internet is a basic right, we don't see the two stances as being
irreconcilable.  Our judicial system is grounded on the notion of the
removal of basic human rights as punishment for illegal activity.]
Question to us is still open as to what is and what is not illegal
file sharing activity if said files are in the public domain wheather
or not they were intended to be initially.


Regards,



Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 294k members/stakeholders strong!)
"Obedience of the law is the greatest freedom" -
   Abraham Lincoln

"Credit should go with the performance of duty and not with what is very
often the accident of glory" - Theodore Roosevelt

"If the probability be called P; the injury, L; and the burden, B; liability
depends upon whether B is less than L multiplied by
P: i.e., whether B is less than PL."
United States v. Carroll Towing  (159 F.2d 169 [2d Cir. 1947]
===============================================================
Updated 1/26/04
CSO/DIR. Internet Network Eng. SR. Eng. Network data security IDNS. div. of
Information Network Eng.  INEG. INC.
ABA member in good standing member ID 01257402 E-Mail jwkckid1 at ix.netcom.com
Phone: 214-244-4827

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