Public Policy Connections

Organizations Submit Concerns with ACTA Text

On 21 April 2010 the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the draft text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) after two years of pressure from information technology companies, library associations, and consumer advocacy groups. On 23 April, several organizations, including SLA, submitted a letter titled “Concerns With April 2010 ACTA Text” in response.

The Consolidated Text appears largely consistent with previously leaked drafts and, in sum, the provisions could harm the domestic and overseas operations of U.S. Internet and other information technology companies. The ACTA documents had been leaked earlier this year, and according to a news stories, the U.S., Europe and other countries were secretly drawing up rules designed to crack down on copyright abuse on the Internet, in part by making ISPs liable for illegal content.

Read: Concerns with April 2010 ACTA Text
Read: Consolidated Text for Public Release
Read: Leaked ACTA Text
Read: ACTA Press Releases from USTR

Read SLA Public Policy Blog posts:

IFLA Issues Position Statement on ACTA (30 March 2010)
Australia Clarifies ACTA Role (16 March 2010)
EU Parliament Votes against ACTA; Threatens Legal Action (10 March 2010)
Leaked ACTA Draft Treaty Reveals Plans for Net Clampdown (3 March 2010)
Senator Wyden Demands Intellectual Property Treaty Details (8 January 2010)
US Senators ask White House to make ACTA Text Public (25 November 2009) 
Is ACTA on an Overreaching Copyright World Tour? (13 November 2009)
Organizations Write President Obama Regarding ACTA (5 November 2009)

Canadian Copyright Law Principles Course Begins 26 April 2010

Canadian Copyright Law Principles (CCM 201)  is the second of seven courses for the SLA/Click University Certificate in Copyright Management: Principles and Issues. This course is required for all Canadians participants in the Certificate and is optional for all non-Canadians.

At the end of this course, participants will understand the background of Canadian copyright law and what the law consists of, explain how a work is protected by copyright, what works are protected, and for how long. The participant will be able to assess ownership in a copyright work, and what rights are protected by the law. Participants will be able to describe how rights are exploited, how copyright law is infringed and the remedies for copyright infringement.

Questions? Need more info? Contact clicku@sla.org

Register for Canadian Copyright Law Principles (CCM 201)

Copyright + Web 2.0 at SLA in New Orleans

If you tweet, blog, or share content on Facebook, you might be interested in this continuing education course that will be offered at SLA 2010. Michele Ayers, Manager of Copyright Education, and Dan Kopko, Director, Strategic Legal and Business Affairs (both at CCC), are presenting "Understanding Copyright in a Web 2.0 Culture" on Sunday, 13 June (Ticket #390). Ayers and Kopko will help participants understand copyright principles that apply to social networking technologies and provide guidance about when copyright permission is needed in order to share content with others.

Please join us in New Orleans on Sunday, 13 June, from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. for a stimulating discussion about a challenging topic. Tickets for this course, and for all CE courses, may be purchased through the SLA 2010 registration page.

Contact Click University  if you have any questions.

European Commission to Ask for Public Input on Net Neutrality

Speaking at a conference held by French telecoms regulator ARCEP, the European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, said the Internet is "not an inherently neutral platform."This means that European regulators have to make choices about whether to allow ISPs to prioritize certain types of online traffic. The European Commission will ask the public for their thoughts on Net neutrality in the upcoming months.

"Net neutrality is a subject that stirs emotions," Kroes said, adding that the debate had seen people voice fears over government censorship and the increasing commercialization of the Web.

The U.S. is addressing the same types of Net Neutrality issues. In early April, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled that regulators had limited power over Web traffic under current law. Argued on 8 January 2010, the ruling on the Comcast vs. the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will allow Internet service companies to block or slow specific sites and charge video sites to deliver faster content to users.

Read article on ZDNet UK: Internet is 'not inherently neutral,' says EU's Kroes

FCC Power Limited in Network Neutrality

A  U.S.  federal appeals court ruled on 6 April that regulators had limited power over Web traffic under current law. Argued on 8 January 2010, the ruling on the Comcast vs. the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will allow Internet service companies to block or slow specific sites and charge video sites to deliver faster content to users.

The court ruling, which came after Comcast asserted that it had the right to slow its cable customers’ access to a file-sharing service called BitTorrent, could prompt efforts in Congress to change the law in order to give the FCC explicit authority to regulate Internet service.

The court decision was a setback to efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to require companies to give Web users equal access to all content (Network Neutrality), even if some of that content is clogging the network. The issue of Net Neutrality is of concern to many information organizations. 

Read New York Times article: U.S. Court Curbs F.C.C. Authority on Web Traffic

Read Wall Street Journal article: FCC Seeks New Web Plan

 

Visual Artists to Sue Google Over Library Project

Miguel Helft writes in the New York Times that “As Google awaits approval of a controversial settlement with authors and book publishers, the company’s plan to create an immense digital library and bookstore may face yet another hurdle."  And indeed they do.  The American Society of Media Photographers and others representing visual artists plan to file a class-action lawsuit against Google, claiming that digitizing millions of books from libraries amounts to infringement on the rights of photographers and other creators of graphic works.

The lawsuit resembles complaints filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers in 2005, to which there is still no ruling on the Google Book Settlement.

Read New York Times story:  Visual Artists to Sue Google Over Vast Library Project

Australian Government vs. Google: Net Censorship or Freedom of Access?

Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy launched an attack on Google and its credibility in response to the search giant's campaign against the government's Internet filtering policy.

In an interview on ABC National Radio Australia, Senator Conroy also said he was unaware of complaints the Obama administration said it had raised with the government over the policy. The Australian government intends to introduce legislation within weeks forcing all ISPs to block a blacklist of "refused classification" Web sites for all Australians. Senator Conroy has said the blacklist will largely include deplorable content such as child pornography, bestiality material and instructions on crime, but a large and growing group of academics, technology companies and lobby groups say the scope of the filters is too broad and will not make a meaningful impact on Internet safety for children. Some are wondering why this is about Google, when the debate might more appropriately be focused on freedom of access to information.

Read: Sydney Morning Herald article: Government goes to war with Google over net censorship

Library and Special Library Copyright Issues: Course Begins 6 April 2010

Library and Special Library Copyright Issues (CCM 500) is the fifth of seven required courses for the SLA/Click University Certificate in Copyright Management: Principles and Issues.

At the end of this course, participants will understand why there are specific provisions for libraries and others. The participant will recognize the existing library provisions and exemptions in various statutes such as the US Copyright Act, Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act (1998), DMCA and TEACH Act (special information will be provided for Canadian libraries), and the role of the Section 108 Study Group.

Questions? Need more info? Contact clicku@sla.org

Register for Library and Special Library Copyright Issues (CCM 500)