This is an important matter folks and you should ensure knowledge of the sneaky backdoor legislation is spread widely.
http://www.p2punite.org/?q=node/956The European Parliament will shortly vote on an controversial directive threatening to outlaw the Pirate Party and other copyright critics.
The directive, IPRED2, has been substantially watered down since its introduction. However, it stills threaten to punish "aiding, abetting and inciting" copyright violations with four years in prison.
"It's notable that this wording has a number of effects that are detrimental to society", Rick Falkvinge says, leader of the Pirate Party.
"Firstly, it will outlaw any form of technical innovation on the cultural arena that today's distribution monopolies dislike. For example, the inventors of the MP3 format would have received harsh jail sentences, as would developers of file sharing software."
"Secondly, this is intended to force internet providers to eavesdrop on their customer's private communications, in order to look for copyright violations on behalf of the monopolists of old. This would eliminate private communications as a concept, because shameless middlemen refuse to accept the passage of time."
"Thirdly, the directive risk criminalizing copyright criticism as such. This would effectively outlaw the Pirate Party. How are we supposed to argue copyright reform, if our political points are construed as inciting copyright violations, and therefore are criminal?", Falkvinge says.
This directive will be enforced by rightsholders getting direct access to the judicial system, effectively becoming a private police force without accountability.
"The architect behind the directive is Jannelly Fourtou, married to the former CEO of Vivendi-Universal", Falkvinge continues. "How many more millions of Europeans will be criminalized by the record industry before politicians react?"
This is not only a threat to our p2p sytems but also any new innovations that threaten the monopoly of the big music mafia, I hope the politicians concerned are clear in their minds that we the populace of the EU regions will not sit idly by while they trade away our rights in return for financial self interest.
Free speech is not for sale and neither is anyones right to trade their work in any way they see fit, I hope you all share my disgust at those proposing this draconian peice of anti democratic legislation.
