Copyright Law

Spaniards Demand Internet ?Civil Rights?

By soulxtc

Want unrestricted file-sharing, repeal of blank media levy, increased broadband access, and net neutrality.

More than 300 members of Spain’s Internet Users Association (AI) protested outside that country’s culture ministry in Madrid recently to ensure the govt doesn’t limit their Internet freedoms ahead of forthcoming legislation expected to crack down on illegal file-sharing.

The protestors demanded “civil rights, universality, and neutrality in Internet.”

“To convert public funds into a free bar accessible to just a few, to finance projects without economic viability, or installing privileges such as the ‘digital canon,’ is not just lacking in solidarity, but is profoundly immoral,” said AI in a statement.

They want an end to the “copyright tax” (digital canon) on devices that can copy music or movies, increased broadband access for all, net neutrality, and an assurance that P2P file-sharing will remain legal.

AI president Victor Domingo insisted on the need to use new technologies “as a battlefield in which to fight for our civil rights.” These include the “equality of opportunities” to broadband access. He said “there are 4 million Spaniards [out of 46 million] who cannot get access to broadband because of where they live. In addition, we have [in Spain] Europe’s slowest and most expensive broadband.”

Domingo added that “the contents industry must accept that business models that cannot compete in the new technological scenario have to disappear, and they cannot sustain themselves artificially at the cost of restricting civil liberties.”

The protests come after Promiscuae, an association of Spanish record labels along with EMI, Sony, Vivendi Universal, and Warner Music recently appeared in court in their suit against P2P software developer Pablo Soto for what they call ?unfair competition.,” demanding $19.9 million USD in alleged damages due to users of his software “free riding” on their copyrighted material.

The problem however, is that Spanish courts have repeatedly ruled that file-sharing isn?t illegal so long as it?s not for commercial gain, and that’s exactly how AI hopes it remains.

Domingo also lambasted the new culture minister, Angeles González-Sinde, as being “legally incapacitated” because of “her prior association with the world of cinema.” González-Sinde used to be the head of the Spanish Cinema Academy and has been a vocal critic of illegal file-sharing.

jared@zeropaid.com

Full post as published by ZeroPaid on June 01, 2009 (boomark / email).