Legal and regulatory issues

Audiovisual

• BE - Le CSA condamne deux chaînes pour violation de la protégeant les mineurs  +/- Translate

  (Droit et Nouvelles Technologies) par Etienne Wery et Paul Van den Bulck. Le CSA (belge) vient de rendre deux décision intéressantes vis-à-vis de chaînes n'ayant pas respecté la signalétique TV destinée à protéger les mineurs. Ces deux décisions sont aussi intéressantes parce que la CSA y établit un lien automatique entre la classification cinéma et la classification TV, et qu'il définit ce qu'il entend par pornographie.

Competition

• DG Competition to focus on information sector  +/-

  (EurActiv) The Commission's annual report on competition policy has announced that the antitrust priorities in 2005 will be 'telecommunications services, media markets' and 'high-speed Internet access'.

Computer crime

• Australia to outlaw suicide Web sites  +/-

  (CNET News.com) Using the Internet to promote the idea or practical details of committing suicide is about to become illegal in Australia. Although the legislation is broad enough to cover any transmission medium, its introductory memorandum highlights the Internet as the primary target.

• CoE - Cybercrime-Konvention vorerst noch Papiertiger  +/- Translate

  (Heise) von Monika Ermert. Bei der Verabschiedung der Cybercrime Konvention des Europarates 2001 schlugen die Wogen der Kritik hoch. Inzwischen ist es still geworden um den kontrovers diskutierten Völkerrechtsvertrag. Bislang haben erst 10 der 42 Unterzeichnerstaaten die Konvention auch tatsächlich ratifiziert. Große Länder wie die USA, Frankreich oder Deutschland lassen sich Zeit.

• DE - Sasser author gets suspended term  +/-

  (CNN) A German court has convicted the teenager who created the Sasser worm that snarled tens of thousands of computers last year and sentenced him to 21 months' probation. Sven Jaschan, 19, could have faced five years in prison as an adult but was tried as a minor because the court determined he created the virus when he was 17.

Consumer protection

• UK - Fines up for rogue internet firms  +/-

  (BBC) Fines for duping consumers into using premium rate internet connections are to increase, the Department of Trade and Industry has announced. Companies who break the rules will be fined up to £250,000, up from the previous maximum of £100,000. The rise comes after a review by communications watchdog Ofcom.

• UK - Regulator probes Crazy Frog  +/-

  (out-law) The premium rate services regulator has launched an investigation into a company behind the Crazy Frog phenomenon, after complaints that children have been duped into signing up to an expensive subscription service. ICSTIS, the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services, has received over 100 complaints from people who thought they had bought the ringtone at a price of £3, only to find that they had also unwittingly signed up for a subscription service costing £3 per week.

Content regulation

• IR - Iran targets dissent on the net  +/-

  (BBC) The web in Iran has emerged as a source of information for voters, who are choosing a new president in a run-off election. Blogs, especially those in Farsi, are being targeted But what Iranians can or cannot see online depends largely on their government. And the authorities are increasingly tightening controls over the net, says a study. The report on internet filtering in Iran was written by The OpenNet Initiative, a partnership of researchers in the US, Britain and Canada. The bulk of the study's technical work was done by one of the partners, The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Since last November, the Lab has been using computers inside and outside of Iran to determine what kind of content the Iranian government is blocking, and how it is blocking that content.

• US - Sex sites win reprieve from new federal rules  +/-

  (CNET News.com) Most Internet sex sites won't immediately have to follow expanded federal record-keeping standards, thanks to an 11th-hour deal with the U.S. government. The Free Speech Coalition, an adult-entertainment trade group, and the U.S. Department of Justice reached an agreement that the government will not begin enforcing the regulations until Sept. 7. The rules added Internet sites to the list of adult media subject to record-keeping laws under the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988. The rules require both producers and 'secondary producers' - in this case webmasters - of adult content to keep extensive documentation about their performers, including legal name, date of birth and copies of documents bearing a photo ID.

Copyright, trademarks and patents

• EU - European Parliament Rejects Software Patents  +/-

  (internetnews) The European Parliament voted overwhelming, 648-14 with 18 abstentions, against a proposed software patent directive. The Computer-Implemented Inventions (CII) patents directive, if passed, would have given software patent owners unified protections across the European Union (EU). The EU floated the proposal to the parliamentary body in May 2004 to bring patent laws in line with patent law in the U.S. see also Software patents - BSA figures do not add up by Ingrid Marson. (ZDNet UK) and Patent absurdity (Guardian)

• Copyright and the law - Rip. Mix. Burn  +/-

  (Economist) Copyright was originally intended to encourage publication by granting publishers a temporary monopoly on works so they could earn a return on their investment. But the internet and new digital technologies have made the publication and distribution of works much easier and cheaper. Publishers should therefore need fewer, not more, property rights to protect their investment. Technology has tipped the balance in favour of the public domain. A first, useful step would be a drastic reduction of copyright back to its original terms - 14 years, renewable once.

• EU - Music copyright: Commission proposes reform on Internet licensing  +/-

  (RAPID) The European Commission has published an in-depth study on how copyright for musical works is licensed for use on the Internet. It concludes that the main obstacle to the growth of legitimate online content services in the EU is the difficulty securing attractive content for online exploitation. In particular, the present structures for cross-border collective management of music copyright - which were developed for the analogue environment - prevent music from fulfilling its unique potential as a driver for online content services. The Commission proposes options to remedy this situation as only music has the real potential to kick-start online content services in Europe in line with the Lisbon agenda.

• Global raids target piracy gangs  +/-

  (BBC) Suspected internet pirates in 11 countries have been raided in a global operation against illegal distributors of movies, games and software. Led by the FBI, the search and seizure operation netted copyrighted material worth $50m and led to seven arrests. Eight servers used to distribute the pirated goods to net users and file-sharing networks were shut down.

• SE - Swedes curb rampant downloading  +/-

  (BBC) Sweden has outlawed the downloading of copyrighted movies, games and music in an attempt to curb rampant piracy. Prior to the law coming into force, Sweden was the only European nation that let people download copyrighted material for personal use.

• UK - Man convicted for chipping Xbox  +/-

  (BBC) A man has become the first person in the UK to be convicted for modifying a video games console. The Cambridge graduate was sentenced at Caerphilly Magistrates Court to 140 hours of community service. The man had been selling modified Xbox consoles which he fitted with a big hard drive containing 80 games. The conviction is the first of its kind in the UK, where the modification of video games consoles has been an illegal practice since October 2003, when the UK enacted the EU Copyright Directive. Under that directive, it is illegal to circumvent copy protection systems.

• UK - Online music royalties challenged  +/-

  (BBC) The 'unreasonable' royalties composers and music publishers demand for digital downloads is being challenged. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) - which represents more than 300 UK record labels - has joined seven online services to bring the action. They have taken the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Performing Right Society (PRS) to a copyright tribunal.

• US - Two Defeats - and a Silver Lining  +/-

  (Free Expression Policy Project) The Supreme Court delivered two defeats to media democracy and free expression yesterday, but at least one decision had a silver lining. The first - and more highly publicized - case, MGM v. Grokster - involved the popular peer-to-peer (or 'P2P') technologies that are used en masse to share copyright-protected music. The entertainment industry sued Grokster and StreamCast (makers of the Morpheus software), arguing that their technologies are mostly used for copyright infringement and therefore should be outlawed. The theory was that the makers of the technology are 'contributory' copyright infringers. see also Ruling won't slow file swapping, experts say. The cast of the ongoing peer-to-peer drama (CNET News.com).

Data Protection (privacy)

• UK - ID cards academic attacks Clarke  +/-

  (BBC) The academic whose report on ID cards was branded 'technically incompetent' by Charles Clarke has launched a counter attack on ministers. Simon Davies was one of the authors of the London School of Economics paper which suggested the cost of the scheme could reach £19bn. The home secretary has described the findings as 'fabricated'. But Mr Davies said the government's reaction had been 'appalling, hypocritical' and 'desperate'.

Digital content

• FR - French answer to Google library  +/-

  (BBC) The French, concerned that the internet is in danger of becoming the exclusive preserve of the English language, are responding to Google's project to put 15 million books and documents online with their own French version. David Reid finds out about Gallica.

Domain names

• DE - Neonazi Lauck muss Domains an Deutschland abtreten  +/- Translate

  (Heise) Eine Schiedsstelle der American Arbitration Association (AAA) hat im Streit um die Domains BundesrepublikDeutschland.us und FederalRepublicofGermany.us zugunsten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und damit gegen US-Neonazi Gary Lauck entschieden. Lauck könne kein berechtigtes Interesse an den Domains nachweisen, befand die AAA. Die AAA ist eine der von der ICANN akkreditierten Schlichtungsstellen, die Domain-Streitereien nach der von der Internet-Verwaltung festgelegten Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) entscheiden kann.

• US to keep control of root servers  +/-

  (Guardian) The Bush administration has decided to retain control over the principal computers which control internet traffic in a move likely to prompt global opposition. The US had pledged to turn control of the 13 computers known as root servers - which inform web browsers and email programs how to direct internet traffic - over to a private, international body. But on Thursday the US reversed its position, announcing that it will maintain control of the computers because of growing security threats and the increased reliance on the internet for global communications.

e-Government

• DE - Bundesrat gibt grünes Licht fürs Informationsfreiheitsgesetz  +/- Translate

  (Heise) Deutschland erhält ein Informationsfreiheitsgesetz: Der Bundesrat hat in seiner Sitzung am heutigen Freitag beschlossen, dem nur mit Müh und Not vom Bundestag kurz vor der Vertrauensfrage noch verabschiedeten Prestigeprojekt von Rot-Grün keine Steine mehr in den Weg zu legen.

• UK - 210 reasons to refuse a Freedom of Information request  +/-

  (out-law.com) The Government has published a review of legislation that prohibits the disclosure of information in response to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, finding that 210 statutory provisions conflicted with the Act. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) came into full effect on 1st January, giving individuals for the first time a general right of access to information held by public authorities in the course of carrying out their public functions, subject to certain conditions and exemptions. One of these exemptions relates to legislation, in existence prior to the passing of FOIA, which prohibits the disclosure of information in some way.

• UK - Freedom of Information complaints are mostly upheld  +/-

  (out-law.com) Most complaints over the handling of requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act are being upheld by the Information Commissioner, based on the 14 decisions published to date. The Commissioner's Office only began publishing its decisions this month. Of the 14 decisions to date, 11 complaints (or 79%) were upheld, at least in part. These victories do not result in penalties or compensation for complainants; rather, the public authorities are simply told just to provide the information requested.

Junk mail (spam)

• Porn spam on the rise again  +/-

  (vnunet.com) The volume of pornographic spam almost trebled during May, according to newly published research.Security vendor Clearswift reported in its monthly email analysis that spam relating to pornography rose from 5.6 per cent to over 14 per cent of total spam sent in May. Healthcare spam remains the dominant form at 44 per cent.

Liability, jurisdiction and applicable law

• E-commerce Regulations: DTI consults on liability for search engines  +/-

  (out-law.com) The UK government is seeking views on whether the protection given to ISPs under the Electronic Commerce Directive should be extended to cover providers of hyperlinks and location tools - such as search engines and directories - and content aggregation services.

• DE - Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf bestätigt Sperrungsverfügung in NRW  +/- Translate

  (heise) Der Staat darf von Internet-Zugangsanbietern die Sperrung von rechtsextremen, ausländischen Internet-Angeboten verlangen. Das hat das Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf entschieden. Die Düsseldorfer Bezirksregierung hatte den Zugangsanbietern Sperrungsverfügungen für Nazi-Websites zugestellt, die im Ausland ins Internet gestellt werden. Die Zugangsanbieter hatten dagegen Klage eingereicht. Das Gericht entschied nun, dass die Verfügungen durch die Staatsverträge zu Mediendiensten und Jugendschutz gedeckt seien.

• US - Adult site sues Amazon over sexy images  +/-

  (CNET News.com) Adult magazine publisher Perfect 10 is suing Amazon.com, alleging that the e-tailer's search engine is violating copyright law by displaying thousands of images from its Web site without permission.

Protection of minors

• DE - 1000 Jugendschutzverstösse im Internet - 70 Prozent abgestellt  +/- Translate

  (verivox) Die in Mainz ansässige Zentralstelle der Länder für Jugendschutz im Internet hat im vergangenen Jahr mehr als 1000 Verstösse aus dem Internet gefischt. In mehr als zwei Drittel der Fälle (70 Prozent) habe der Einspruch von "jugendschutz.net" dazu geführt, dass die kritisierten Beiträge aus dem Netz genommen wurden, teilte das Jugendministerium am Freitag in Mainz mit. In allein 131 Fällen gelang die Entfernung von rechtsextremer Hasspropaganda.

Self-regulation / codes of conduct

• NL - New directives for chat sites  +/-

  (saferinternet.org) In June 2005, a common initiative of Dutch chat sites has resulted in a set of directives aimed at increasing chat safety among children and teenagers. The directives include agreements on online awareness raising, assistance, moderation, registration, and complaint management. The chat directives were officially launched at a press conference in The Hague on 16 June 2005. Minister of Economic Affairs Laurens Jan Brinkhorst was present to inform on the government's commitment to a safe Internet for young people.

Market & Technology

Electronic commerce

• M-payments scheme falls apart  +/-

  (EurActiv) A future where your mobile phone could also be a Europe-wide purse took a step backwards with the collapse in June 2005 of Simpay. Following the defection of T-Mobile to pursue its own scheme, Simpay announced it would fold. The venture, set up by Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Telefónica Móviles in 2003, aimed to create a cross-Europe system allowing payments of up to €10 to be made via mobile phones. However, the scheme was beset by delays and the inability of the founders, who were market competitors and therefore rivals, to agree. The result may either be the emergence of separate m-payment systems for each mobile company (with inevitable costs to consumers in cross-border transactions) or the fading-out altogether of the m-payment idea in favour of other technologies.

Mobile and wireless

• Im Visier der Kamerahandys  +/- Translate

  (Telepolis) Handys haben sich rasant verbreitet und das Verhalten der Menschen verändert, die nun überall und immer verbunden sind. Mittlerweile sind Handys Grundbestand des Alltags, der kaum mehr wegzudenken ist. Aber es gibt natürlich auch 'kreative' Anwendungen dieser neuen Technik, die unerfreulich sind.

• Mobile giants court the internet  +/-

  (BBC) Mobiles phones and the internet are coming closer together, with T-Mobile turning to Google and Vodafone doing an instant messaging deal with Microsoft. T-Mobile is to offer subscribers full internet access via Google, instead of restricting access to a set of sites. Rival Vodafone has joined forces with Microsoft to allow people to exchange instant messages between its messaging service and MSN Messenger. Analysts say the deals show the net is becoming an integral part of mobiles.

• Mobiles capture blast aftermath  +/-

  (BBC) Mobile phones provided some of the more immediate and vivid images of the bomb attacks in London. Mobile video footage shot by commuters from inside London Underground carriages appeared quickly on global news networks and across the net. As video mobiles grow more popular in Europe, they are letting people capture the first scenes of chaos before TV.

Statistics

• Mobile content downloading to treble, says report  +/-

  (silicon.com) Over the course of the coming 12 months, the market for mobile content, excluding pornography, is set to treble to ?7.6bn, a report from LogicaCMG has found. Around one-fifth of mobile users worldwide have downloaded content via their phone to date - and that figure is expected to rise to 60 per cent in the next 12 months. Ringtones, games and music are the favourite content types, with news and sports also gaining ground. A separate survey recently predicted such 'infotainment' will hit $4.5bn by the year 2007.

• UK - News sites toil as visits rocket  +/-

  (BBC) People turned to the net in their millions to check friends and family were fine following the London attacks. Some news sites got a month's traffic on Thursday and the huge surge in visitors caused problems for others. Net monitoring services reported brief outages at some news sites and some pages took longer than normal to load. E-mail traffic reportedly doubled in response to congestion on mobile networks which made it hard to get through to people in central London.

• US - Spyware problems have struck tens of millions of computer users  +/-

  (Pew Internet & American Life Project) Tens of millions of Americans have been struck by so-called spyware. Fully 91% of internet users have changed the way they behave online as they try to avoid unwanted and invasive software. Report.

Technology

• US - Peer-To-Peer File Sharing Comes With Risks, Says FTC  +/-

  (InformationWeek) Peer-to-peer file-sharing technology offers both benefits and risks, according to a report by the Federal Trade Commission. The report, based on comments from the FTC's P2P workshop last December, cites benefits such as fast file transfers, bandwidth conservation, and reduced storage needs. It also warns of risks related to data security, spyware and adware, viruses, copyright infringement, and pornography.

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