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DMCA-Alikes Sweep Europe

Posted by timothy on from the heavy-linkage-send-help dept.

D4C5CE writes "The number of European countries enacting their ignorance of the sad experiences from Four Years under the DMCA has just risen to 5, as the Upper House (Bundesrat, incidentally) of the German Parliament on Friday failed to veto (sorry, some press releases are only available in heavily spin-doctored German Legalese at this point in time) and is hence considered to have consented to the adoption by the Lower House (Bundestag) of a federal law implementing the dreaded DMCA's European sibling known as EU Copyright Directive 2001/29/EC." Read on for more on the copyright laws being considered around the EU.

D4C5CE continues: "Earlier implementations have been reported from Austria, Denmark, Greece and Italy.
Legal scholars consider the directive itself an invalid "monstrosity", and the German law unconstitutional. In fact, this legislation is viewed as so terribly awful that even from the U.S., the EFF tried to prevent it in a rare intervention overseas.

Declaring that the circumvention rather than the use of Copy Protection is a Crime, the German parliament threatens to make things even worse by adopting a "second stage" with further steps to impose DRM and additional levies later this year, but unsurprisingly, all of the issues that DMCA-style laws have become notorious for are already there: Overbreadth, overprotection of technical measures, and Chilling Effects aplenty.

Record companies eagerly awaiting this "lex Bertelsmann" have already caused ISPs to send out warning letters to P2P users for alleged copyright infringement, and are expected to take legal action against individual users of file-sharing networks, following in the footsteps of RIAA.

Confirming the fears expressed by Alan Cox on Slashdot, computer gurus will soon find no place left to go even on the European side of the pond, and the Free-X "Independence Day" XBox exploit posted by one brave German just in time before this dismal day may well have been one of the very last legal disclosures in this part of the world as well."

12 of 281 comments (clear)

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  2. Oh well by The+Bungi · · Score: -1, Flamebait
    Not really very helpful but I do feel some vindication after all the "we have in Europaische freedom, hahaha amerika suxx" posts of the past three years.

    Where's your vaunted freedom now, mmm?

  3. Attention by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    This is a wake up call all you Europe fan-boys who piss and moan about the United States:

    There's no safe-haven in the world from this type of B.S., face it. America ain't so bad.

  4. Finally, protection for my work. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    For those who wil legally obtain copies of my product, I have nothing but the best wishes for you. You will have my unending product support on your legal purchases.

    As for the pirates, I'll pull the switch myself if they let me.

    FRY IN HELL, ILLEGALLY DOWNLOADING CRIMINAL BASTARDS!!!

  5. Tragic! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    This is tragic! Now European slashdotters will have one less thing to be snooty about!

  6. How to avoid imprisonment. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Step One: Don't download the .mp3 illegally.

    Unless it is a free download offered by the legal owner, JUST SAY NO.

    Step Two: Decide how badly you need this work.

    If you just can't live without it, hurry down to your local record store, or surf to your favorite online retailer, and legally purchase the item. You will be a fully functioning member of economic society, and the author's children will be able to eat that day. You expect to be paid at your french fry chef job, eh? Well, so does the author.

    If you don't need the work, than do without! Impossible, you say? Well there's plenty of starving children in Ethiopia that would like to talk to you about the truly neccesary things in life.

  7. STFU COCKGOBBLER. NOTHING CAN TAKE DOWN THE GNAA! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait
  8. So, tell me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Do you boil the cock before you gobble it?

  9. Before someone else says it by SubliminalLove · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Hey moron, if you'd RTFA you'd know that the prison sentence isn't mandatory. They'll just charge everyone ten grand and walk with millions. Jeeze, don't you even think before you post this garbage? :)

  10. Re:Why the waste of bandwidth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    I saw alot of "America v Europe" plenty before the alleged "pissing the whole world off." At least be honest and say it - it's anti-Americanism. Period.

    Derek

  11. Re:I am sorry but how could this be modded funny ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait
    insanely high taxes, communist health care, no right to bear arms, forced conscription, unbelievable regulation of motor vehicles and communications, rampant trade protectionism. and now europe's getting its own DMCA.

    yes, euro fanboys, your civil liberties are being overly limited.

  12. Re:Why the waste of bandwidth? by Troed · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Of course a lot of people are anti-American - you're causing it all by yourselves. Stop acting like idiots when you deal with other countries and we might start to respect you.

    All the lies the US told us about Iraq

    The US claims they own space

    USA putting racism in the law

    --
    it's in my head