About: piracy Archives

The European Commission attempted to dispel rumours today (22 March) regarding draconian new anti-counterfeiting laws being negotiated under the global Anti-Counterfeiting and Trade Agreement (ACTA) talks.

Over a million jobs and up to €240 billion in business could be lost in the European Union over the next five years as a result of illegal downloading, according to a new study into Internet piracy.

An upcoming global trade agreement on copyright and counterfeiting, known as ACTA, will not rewrite EU rules on the liability of internet service providers, a leading European Commission official told EURACTIV, denying media reports that suggest otherwise.

The EU is reportedly on the cusp of undermining Internet users' fundamental freedoms for good as the European Council is putting pressure on MEPs to agree to a watered-down version of the telecoms package tomorrow (4 November), making it possible to cut off the Web connections of suspected illegal downloaders without a fair trial.

The UK government has announced plans to punish file-sharing on the Internet which resemble France's failed 'three-strike' approach. The move was fiercely criticised by human rights activists and the high-tech industry.

The European Commission is set to put proposals to tackle online piracy on ice until the end of its current mandate, following heavy pressure from telecoms companies and consumer organisations alike, EURACTIV has learned.

EU culture ministers yesterday (20 November) rejected French proposals to curb online piracy through compulsory measures against free downloading, instead agreeing to promote legal offers of music or films on the Internet.

Following in France's footsteps, the UK is also moving towards a tougher approach on peer-to-peer websites, with six of the top British internet service providers agreeing upon a provision that engage them in sending letters to repeat downloaders of music or films from the Web.

The European Commission is considering a new set of measures that could cut web access for users of illegal file-sharing software, according to a draft policy paper on "Creative content online" obtained by EURACTIV.

The Commission wants member states to give it a mandate to negotiate a new agreement with its major trading partners, aimed at raising the standard of global intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and tackling the rising and increasingly problematic trade in counterfeit goods, it announced on 23 October.

The Parliament has narrowly backed a historical but controversial Directive that would force member states to harmonise their penal codes - for the first time ever - in order to combat counterfeiting and piracy across Europe.

On a four-day trip to China, Trade Commissioner Mandelson urged the Asian giant to take responsibility for the huge impact it is having on world trade and the environment.

As the world's most mediatised event takes off, the EU customs authorities face floods of fake World Cup merchandise. The Commission has warned consumers on health risks of counterfeit products. 

Intellectual property offences, also known as piracy, is in the focus of the Commission's sweeping new plans that were announced by Commission Vice President Franco Frattini on 26 April.

The Commission has come up with proposals to combat the increasing number of fake foodstuffs, medicines and household items flooding the EU market.

The paper analyses the Commission's initiatives to fight counterfeiting and piracy (C&P) in the European Union.

The global software piracy rate dropped from 49 per cent in 1994 to 39 per cent in 2002, thanks primarily to intensive business education and increasing awareness of corporate governance, a new study reveals.

Electronic piracy must be stamped out or else Europe's competitiveness will suffer, says a Commission report on legal protection within the EU of electronic pay services.

The Commission has just adopted a plan to improve the EU's fight against counterfeiting and piracy in the single market.

European Parliament take action in increasing maritime safety and environment protection.