Posted on: 12/27/02 @ 1604

Subject: EU Lags on Copyright Protection

Of the 15 European Union Member countries only 2, Denmark and Greece have met the December 22nd deadline to implement new European Union rules on copyright protection for movies, music and software. In what is shaping up to be the European version of a DMCA debate, many countries are having a hard time dealing with the slippery slope imposed by the new laws. The uneasy balance between user rights and copyright protection is causing some hesitancy in getting the laws implemented. The new laws would allow digital content manufacturers to use copy-protection technology such as digital rights management. The laws would also make it illegal for unauthorized users to circumvent any of the copyright protections. The European community would be smart to more narrowly define the law and its applications. This way they can learn from the United States DMCA mistake that led to the implementation of an overly broad reaching law.

EU Lags on Copyright Protection - Posted on Backstage.com