EU Commission’s New Copyright Czar: “Private Copying Shouldn’t Exist”

[DaBees-Knees]

http://www.zeropaid.com/news/92995/eu-commissions-new-copyright-czar-private-copying-shouldnt-exist/

Several MPS question the judgement of appointing the former chief lawyer at the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, noting the general public is unlikely to trust the Commission to “handle copyright-related issues in a fair and balanced manner.” Maria Martin-Prat is the same woman who said in 2003 that “private copying had no reason to exist and should be limited further than it is.”

In a move sure to anger many already concerned with overzealous copyright enforcement efforts, the former general Deputy General Counsel, Director of Legal Policy and Regulatory Affairs for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has been appointed to take up the vacant position as the European Commission’s new copyright czar.

According to the French site PCInpact, Maria Martin-Prat is now the new Directorate General of the Internal Market and Services Copyright Division.

Now if it wasn’t bad enough that a former copyright holder organization’s chief lawyer has been given the reins to lead the European Commission’s copyright enforcement efforts, it’s been pointed out that in a 2003 intellectual property rights conference she said that “private copying had no reason to exist and should be limited further than it is.”

She claimed that it was “incompatible” with the Berne “three-step test,” meaning that allowing people to make personal copies of purchased CDs would “unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the rights holder.”

The appointment doesn’t take effect until April 16th, but already at least two MPs are questioning the wisdom of the decision.

“Does the Commission not see any problems in recruiting top civil servants from special interest organizations, especially when being put in charge of dossiers directly related to their former employers? If not, why not?” asks Christian Engström, MP from the Swedish Pirate Party in a letter submitted to the Commission.

“Does the Commission feel that such an appointment would help to build confidence with the European Parliament and the general public that the Commission can be trusted to handle copyright-related issues in a fair and balanced manner?” it adds.

When news of the appointment broke Engström wrote that at least now we all know that big business is the one really “calling most of the shots” at the Commission, and at least they “don’t even bother to try to hide it anymore.”

He’s right, and I can’t help but think that any time she makes a statement or issues an edict that honest-minded people will remember that it’s coming from the same woman who said that people shouldn’t be allowed to make private copies of legally purchased CDs.

The only problem is how closely aligned her other ideas are with the IFPI.

"People shouldn’t be allowed to make private copies of legally purchased CDs"

I find it totally incomprehensible that someone like her can be fair and impartial. Any political system that uses officials with that degree of bias is very flawed.  

[MinersLantern]

She is a typical femi-nazi. You can tell by her title of 'Ms'.
The EU is in fact its own little neo-nazi organization anyway.
You can tell by how it prefers absolute control to liberty.
Its as if Europe, for the most part, selected the most negative aspects of those in the US that they love to call 'neocons' then multiplied by ten and installed that flawed thinking as their own 'government' rather than doing things the right way. But I guess there is no kickback money and power in doing things the right way. I would imagine that when the next 'big thing' comes along like the real estate bubble did, Europe will still blindly imitate US investors and law. They have the creativity and imagination of a dead cow. Monkey see, monkey do.