<div dir="ltr">Hi,<br><br>We have received this letter from Hammerstein's office. It's an Open letter, so it can be published.<br><br>In this letter the discographic & audiovisual lobbies are asking the eurodiputies to vote for the Torpedo Amendments.<br>
It's just 4 pages, we should read it and make a fast (but complete) answer.<br><br><br>PS: Note that it talks about p2p and related, we should argue that more important things can be lost: civil rights, privacy, espionage...<br>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote">
Dear MEPS,<br>
<br>
Please find enclosed an "Open Letter of the European Creative Community on<br>
the Telecom Package Review" from the following organisations:<br>
<br>
? CEPI - European Coordination of Independent Poducers<br>
? <a href="http://www.cepi.tv" target="_blank">www.cepi.tv</a><br>
? ECSA - European Composer and Songwriter Alliance<br>
? <a href="http://www.composeralliance.org" target="_blank">www.composeralliance.org</a><br>
? EPC - European Producers Club<br>
? <a href="http://www.europeanproducersclub.org" target="_blank">www.europeanproducersclub.org</a><br>
? EUROCINEMA - Association de Producteurs de Cinéma et de Télévision<br>
? www.eurocinema.eu<br>
? EVA - European Visual Artists<br>
? <a href="http://www.evartists.org" target="_blank">www.evartists.org</a><br>
? EWC-FAEE - European Writers' Council<br>
? <a href="http://www.european-writers-congress.org" target="_blank">www.european-writers-congress.org</a><br>
? FERA - Federation of European Film Directors<br>
? <a href="http://www.ferainfo.org" target="_blank">www.ferainfo.org</a><br>
? FSE - Federation of Screenwriters in Europe<br>
? <a href="http://www.scenaristes.org" target="_blank">www.scenaristes.org</a><br>
? IMPALA - Independent Music Companies Association<br>
? <a href="http://www.impalasite.org" target="_blank">www.impalasite.org</a><br>
? UNI-MEI - Global Union in Media, Entertainement and Arts<br>
? <a href="http://www.union-network.org/mei" target="_blank">www.union-network.org/mei</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Contact: Cécile Despringre, CEO of FERA - <a href="mailto:info@ferainfo.org" target="_blank">info@ferainfo.org</a> - tel : 02 290<br>
44 35.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Yours sincerely,<br>
<br>
Pyrrhus Mercouris<br>
FSE manager<br>
<br>
Federation of Scriptwriters in Europe/Fédération des Scénaristes en Europe<br>
(FSE)<br>
C/O UNI-Europa, Box 9<br>
31, rue de l'Hôpital<br>
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium<br>
Telephone: (0032.2) 234-5654<br>
Fax:: (0032.2) 235 0861<br>
<a href="http://www.scenaristes.org" target="_blank">http://www.scenaristes.org</a><br>
<br>
<br></div><br><br><br><br><font size="4" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 25px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>OPEN LETTER OF THE EUROPEAN CREATIVE COMMUNITY</b></div>
<div><b>TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT</b></div>
<div><b>ON THE TELECOMMUNICATION PACKAGE REVIEW</b></div>
</span></font>
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<div>2</div>
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<div>Brussels, 29 August 2008</div>
<div>Dear Members of the European Parliament,</div>
<div>The vote on the Telecommunication Package Review in the leading committees (ITRE and</div>
<div>IMCO) on July 7</div>
</span></font>
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<div>th</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div>brought some positive amendments to the revision of the 2002 directives.</div>
<div>Nevertheless, it remains unsatisfactory regarding several elements which are of the utmost</div>
<div>importance for the European creative community whose works highly contribute to the</div>
<div>development of the electronic communications and services. These elements need to be</div>
<div>addressed at the September plenary session.</div>
<div>We represent authors and independent producers who deserve greater benefits from the</div>
<div>Internet, particularly for the distribution of their works as well as the development of new</div>
<div>business models for European works. The most important tool at the disposal of the creative</div>
<div>community is intellectual property rights to safeguard their works. These rights have been</div>
<div>threatened on the web because lots of web users have lost respect for them and consider</div>
<div>that illegal downloading does not harm the creative community. This is false. Illegal</div>
<div>downloading harms the European creative community and prevents the development of</div>
<div>business models for legal online offers.</div>
<div><b>In this context, the creative community calls on all stakeholders, including</b></div>
<div><b>telecommunication operators, to work together to find the best ways to deter massive</b></div>
<div><b>online piracy and to develop legal alternatives for consumers. Dialogue and co-</b></div>
<div><b>operation is only possible if the Telecom Package creates the appropriate conditions</b></div>
<div><b>which will foster awareness on this issue.</b></div>
<div>Therefore, we would like to inform you by this letter of the amendments considered as</div>
<div>essential by the European creative community and we invite you to support them in the</div>
<div>perspective of the September Plenary vote.</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>1. I</b></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>NFORMATION ON THE RESPECT FOR COPYRIGHT</b></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div>Compromise amendments, proposed by the draft person, MEP Malcolm Harbour were</div>
<div>adopted in IMCO committee in order to supersede article 20.6 proposed by the Commission</div>
<div>in the Universal Service Directive. In spite of our strong support to article 20.6, we have been</div>
<div>convinced that the compromise amendments proposed by MEP Malcolm Harbour and</div>
<div>adopted in IMCO on July 7</div>
</span></font>
<font size="2" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 8px; font-family: Times;">
<div>th</div>
</span></font>
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<div>are the only ones acceptable by all interested parties</div>
<div>(amendments 62 and 67). Furthermore, it reinforces subscribers' information about their</div>
<div>rights and obligations in article 21.4a (amendment 76).</div>
<div>Indeed, it is indispensable to inform subscribers in their contract on the use of electronic</div>
<div>communications networks and services to help them prevent that they carry out unlawful</div>
<div>activities; it is equally important to distribute public interest information on prejudicial activities</div>
<div>for the rights and freedoms of others, including copyright.</div>
<div>This general information is not directed in particular at copyright infringers, but will be sent to</div>
<div>all subscribers. Therefore, these provisions cannot be compared in any way to the "French</div>
<div>graduated response" which has been proposed by the French government in a draft law on</div>
<div>June 18, 2008. We would like to add in this context that it is not the purpose of the European</div>
<div>creative community to incorporate the "French graduated response" in the</div>
<div>Telecommunication package.</div>
</span></font>
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<div>3</div>
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<div>In addition, we call on you to reject amendment 120 of the ITRE committee report which</div>
<div>deletes point 19 of the Annex I of the Authorisation directive introduced by the Commission.</div>
<div>This provision incorporates the respect of implementation laws of intellectual property</div>
<div>directives as a possible condition for an authorisation to be given to a telecom operator and</div>
<div>should be maintained.</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>2. T</b></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>HE COOPERATION FOR THE PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF LAWFUL CONTENT</b></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div>Despite its adoption in four out of five opinion committees (IMCO 26, JURI 14, CULT 20 and</div>
<div>LIBE 28), the so-called "cooperation amendment" was not adopted by the ITRE committee</div>
<div>on July, 7</div>
</span></font>
<font size="2" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 8px; font-family: Times;">
<div>th</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div>with just one vote of majority (amendment 308).</div>
<div>The European creative community considers that this amendment would be a great</div>
<div>opportunity for all interested parties in the electronic communications sector to create a</div>
<div>constructive dialogue in order to contribute to the development of creative content online.</div>
<div>It seems that some MEPs believe that this amendment aims to introduce in European law the</div>
<div>French graduated response mechanism. The European creative community would like to</div>
<div>stress that the "cooperation amendment" only aims at creating a dialogue in each Member</div>
<div>State between the sectors concerned by entrusting the National Regulatory Authorities with</div>
<div>the mission of ensuring it. This amendment will not, in any case, set up any obligation</div>
<div>concerning the form and the results of this dialogue.</div>
<div>Amendment 61 adopted by the ITRE Committee, which refers to article 33 of the Universal</div>
<div>Service Directive is not enough in this context. Cooperation will only take place if it is clearly</div>
<div>part of the mission of the National Regulatory Authorities to ensure it. A simple reference to</div>
<div>article 33 of the Universal Service Directive related to the consultation of interested parties</div>
<div>on consumers' information does not create any competence of the National Regulatory</div>
<div>Authorities to ensure cooperation.</div>
<div>In addition, article 33 of the Universal Service Directive modified by amendment 112 of the</div>
<div>IMCO report, only refers to cooperation for the promotion of lawful content; the term</div>
<div>"protection" has been deleted. We consider that both aspects "promotion" and "protection"</div>
<div>are inseparable. Protection of lawful content is necessary to ensure its promotion. The 2005</div>
<div>UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural</div>
<div>Expressions refers to both terms as you cannot promote something that you do not respect</div>
<div>and protect.</div>
<div>Therefore, the European creative community urges you to support a cooperation amendment</div>
<div>which should be tabled again in the plenary, in line with the one tabled by Mrs Vlasto, Mr</div>
<div>Belet and Mrs Hieronymi in the ITRE committee (amendment 308) and adopted in four</div>
<div>opinion committees (IMCO 26, JURI 14, CULT 20 and LIBE 28).</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>3. T</b></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>HE APPROPRIATE BALANCE BETWEEN THE RESPECT OF PRIVACY AND THE</b></div>
<div><b>PROTECTION OF COPYRIGHT</b></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div>We deeply regret that the opinions of the different committees on the privacy issue were</div>
<div>taken into account neither by the Civil Liberties nor by the Internal Market committees.</div>
<div>Indeed, two of them aimed at integrating into the "privacy directive" the lessons taken from</div>
<div>the European Court of Justice in its decision in the Promusicae v. Telefonica case.</div>
<div>The first one, which has been tabled and adopted by the Civil Liberties committee,</div>
<div>incorporates a new amendment 30 b in the privacy directive (amendment 35 of the IMCO</div>
</span></font>
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<div>4</div>
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<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div>report) which states that <i>When implementing measures transposing Directive 2002/58/EC,</i></div>
<div><i>the authorities and courts of the Member States shall not only interpret their national law in a</i></div>
<div><i>manner consistent with that Directive but also make sure that they do not rely on an</i></div>
<div><i>interpretation of that Directive which would be in conflict with other fundamental rights or</i></div>
<div><i>general principles of Community law, such as the principle of proportionality. </i>This</div>
<div>amendment should be confirmed in the plenary.</div>
<div>The second one, adopted in two opinions' committees (JURI 32 and CULT 15) but not in the</div>
<div>LIBE committee, should be tabled again for the plenary. It would contribute to clarify the</div>
<div>reference to the 1995 framework privacy directive in article 15.1 of the 2002 privacy directive.</div>
<div>It would therefore establish a better balance between the respect for intellectual property</div>
<div>rights and privacy protection, by providing the possibility for an exception to the</div>
<div>confidentiality of private data in order to protect the rights and freedom of others.</div>
<div>This amendment is essential to clarify the relationship between the two fundamental rights. It</div>
<div>is also appropriate and balanced since article 15.1 on one hand already provides that the</div>
<div>exception will be strictly limited to necessary, appropriate and proportionate measures and</div>
<div>on the other hand, only gives Members States the possibility to introduce such an exception</div>
<div>into their legislation.</div>
<div><b>The European creative community represented by our organisations calls on your</b></div>
<div><b>support for those amendments at the plenary vote in September. The development of</b></div>
<div><b>the European electronic communication networks and services cannot be done at the</b></div>
<div><b>expenses of the European artists and creativity.</b></div>
<div>Yours sincerely,</div>
<div>Signatories:</div>
<div><b>CEPI </b>– European Coordination of Independent Poducers</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div><a href="http://www.cepi.tv/" target="_blank">www.cepi.tv</a></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>ECSA </b>– European Composer and Songwriter Alliance</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div><a href="http://www.composeralliance.org/" target="_blank">www.composeralliance.org</a></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>EPC </b>- European Producers Club</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div><a href="http://www.europeanproducersclub.org/" target="_blank">www.europeanproducersclub.org</a></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>EUROCINEMA </b>- Association de Producteurs de Cinéma et de Télévision</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div>www.eurocinema.eu</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>EVA </b>– European Visual Artists</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div><a href="http://www.evartists.org/" target="_blank">www.evartists.org</a></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>EWC-FAEE </b>- European Writers' Council</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div><a href="http://www.european-writers-congress.org/" target="_blank">www.european-writers-congress.org</a></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>FERA </b>– Federation of European Film Directors</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div><a href="http://www.ferainfo.org/" target="_blank">www.ferainfo.org</a></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>FSE </b>– Federation of Screenwriters in Europe</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div><a href="http://www.scenaristes.org/" target="_blank">www.scenaristes.org</a></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>IMPALA </b>– Independent Music Companies Association</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div><a href="http://www.impalasite.org/" target="_blank">www.impalasite.org</a></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div><b>UNI-MEI </b>– Global Union in Media, Entertainement and Arts</div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" color="#0000ff" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">
<div><a href="http://www.union-network.org/mei" target="_blank">www.union-network.org/mei</a></div>
</span></font>
<font size="3" face="Times"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<div>Contact: Cécile Despringre, CEO of FERA – <font color="#0000ff" face="Times"><a href="mailto:info@ferainfo.org" target="_blank">info@ferainfo.org</a> </font>– tel : 02 290 44 35</div>
</span></font><br></div>
</div>
</div>