MEP urges creation of EU-wide Internet laws

Date: 11/04/1996

By Fiona McHugh

THE EU should harmonise the patchwork of information society laws which is beginning to emerge throughout member states, according to European Parliament rapporteur Roberto Barzanti.

Favouring a more heavy-handed regulatory approach than the Commission, the Italian MEP looks set to recommend that EU rules be introduced to protect the rights of authors whose works are posted on the Internet.

In a draft report due to be discussed by the Parliament's legal affairs committee on 23 April, Barzanti welcomes the Commission's decision to launch a debate on copyright law, but chastises it for failing to examine the question of individual authors' copyrights in depth.

He recommends that the EU introduces new rules providing protection for individual authors, asks the Commission to make illegal the sale of piracy devices, and calls for encouragement to be given to the development of technology to combat the illegal copying and sale of protected pieces of work.

On the question of whether particular rightholders should be entitled to exclusive broadcasting rights, Barzanti echoes widespread public opposition to granting exclusive rights to televise sports events, insisting that citizens' rights should be put above those of copyright holders. “It would be inadmissible if exclusive rights were abused and the transmission of certain events, which should be broadcast to wide audiences through several channels, were limited,” he says.

Barzanti's proposals are likely to be welcomed by DGX, the Directorate-General for audio-visual policy, which favours adopting an aggressive EU stance against piracy on the superhighway.

Internal Market Commissioner Mario Monti, however, is anxious not to scare off potential investors in the information society and would prefer a minimalist approach to future intellectual property rights.

Earlier this year, his staff proposed a loose system of coordination between member states which would force governments to send draft laws for the information society to their European partners for approval. Monti also launched a wide-ranging debate on the delicate question of copyright law, asking interested parties to respond to a number of key questions.

The Commission wants to ensure that the development of important new services is not hampered by gaps in the single market and, at the same time, recognises the need to protect the rights of performers, broadcasters and record companies.