[pp.int.general] [Cafe] levies

[Reinier Bakels]

> On 24/03/2008, Carlos Ayala <aiarakoa at yahoo.es> wrote:>
>> If we reach Strasbourg -and I believe we can, though it's an obviously 
>> hard
>> goal to achieve-, what are we going to do there? I think that, apart from
>> introducing new issues in the political scenario, change the communitary
>> laws that oppose our ideas, our goals, our core issues; and 2001/29/EC is
>> one of those laws. That directive allows levies to exist, and if we want
>> levies to not exist anymore, we need to change it properly ... provided 
>> that
>> it's included in our common goals; is it included?
>
> The parliament has very little power overall as it is today. But when
> the Pirate Parties are in the parliament, one of the long term goals
> should be complete reformation of all the current directives treating
> copyright. I think that there's consensus against all levies in the
> Pirate parties?

Don't confuse long term and short term goals! There is a tight system of 
international treaties (notably the WTO "TRIPS" Agreement) that severely 
curtails the freedom to adopt essentially new copyright legislation on the 
short term.

Having said that, it would be a major break-through to politicise the 
"information freedom" debate and remove it from its current technocratic 
lobbyist dominated backwater status. How to eat an elephant? Piece by piece! 
Like changing the direction of a supertanker: it goes slowly, but eventually 
it MUST be feasible. While the US nowadays negotiates "TRIPS plus" bilateral 
agreements with developing countries (even more restrictive in intellectual 
property, but apparently sufficiently appealing for those countries in other 
fields, notably trade), there is a bunch of leading developing countries 
from South America that is becoming increasingly critical, e.g. in the 
context of WIPO (which is basically UN).

And don't underestimate the power of the European Parliament. They rejected 
the software patent directive. Perhaps the lack of organisation of the EP is 
more serious than its lack of competence. PP knowledge would be very helpful 
in the EP.

reinier