June 2010 - nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

Intervista al PM Robledo sul CorSera
by Corrado Druetta June 8, 2010

June 8, 2010

Buongiorno a tutti, Vi segnalo questa intervista rilasciata dal PM Robledo (caso Google-Vividown) al Corriere della Sera: http://www.corriere.it/cronache/10_giugno_06/mucchetti-privacy-google_ec489… Buona domenica a tutti, Corrado Druetta

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Re: [nexa] Intervista al PM Robledo sul CorSera
by giorgio.giunchi＠cctld.it June 8, 2010

June 8, 2010

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NY Review of Books: "The iPad Revolution"
by J.C. DE MARTIN June 8, 2010

June 8, 2010

The New York Review of Books *The iPad Revolution* by Sue Halpern June 10, 2010 http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/jun/10/ipad-revolution/?page=1 Passaggio conclusivo: [...] /Still, Apple's vetting is the antithesis of the openness that has sparked much of the creativity and ingenuity that defines and drives the Internet. Since the release of the first browser seventeen years ago, the Internet has been an unrestricted playground, accessible to just about anyone. Its openness is why some governments fear it, why certain corporations are threatened by it, why a formerly unknown singer can sell a million albums, why a teenager in Mumbai can contribute computer code to a piece of software developed in Amsterdam and distributed globally. / /The Open Source movement and Creative Commons both derive from the Internet's essential freedom, a leveling that allows designers and filmmakers and singers and craftsmen and any number of writers, activists, politicians, artists, and entrepreneurs, many of them amateurs, to develop and disseminate their ideas. Imagine what the Internet, and our lives, would be like if, after inventing the Mosaic Web browser back in 1993, Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina not only required users to buy it but required payment for every click or download or page view. Try to imagine how a privatized, monetized Internet might have developed, and you can't, because its evolutionary path would have been so different. Apple's iPad apps may be ingenious. They may be fun and entertaining. They may be useful. What they can't be is free of Apple's control./ juan carlos

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Fwd: [fcf_discussion] "Too much copyright is detrimental to cultural expression" Unesco report (From EDRI gram, Christiana Mauro)
by Paolo Brini June 7, 2010

June 7, 2010

-------- Messaggio originale -------- Oggetto: [fcf_discussion] "Too much copyright is detrimental to cultural expression" Unesco report (From EDRI gram, Christiana Mauro) Data: Mon, 7 Jun 2010 15:13:16 +0200 Mittente: david(a)davidhammerstein.org <david(a)davidhammerstein.org> Rispondi-a: fcforum_discussion(a)list.fcforum.net A: IP wg <ip(a)tacd.org>, fcforum_discussion(a)list.fcforum.net Copyright and cultural diversity The conclusions of a study completed by a Geneva-based lawfirm, which summarises the state of implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (ratified by the EC in 2007),was presented to the Culture and Education Committee (CULT). The study focused on fields where the EU would be expected to provide leadership. A good deal of attention is paid to the regulatory implications of digital media and the research team adopts an emphatically critical approach to the idea of enhancing copyright. During the workshop, the head of the study, Christophe Germann, said that while some copyright is necessary, the research team had come to the conclusion that too much copyright “is detrimental to diversity of cultural expression” and that policy-makers in the EU are generally overly exposed to lobbyists that “repeat the prevailing dogma about the need for better copyright law”. According to the assessment, policy-makers who only listen to the loudest and strongest voice fail to implement the parts of the Convention they consider most valuable; diversity of cultural expression is particularly threatened by IPRs “in markets that are dominated by big corporations exercising collective power as oligopolies”. The study considered selective state aid mechanisms in the audiovisual field risky insofar as they not only represent an incentive to clientelism but also serve as a bad model for authoritarian regimes with regard to the possibility of covert censorship and inhibiting cultural entrepreneurship. Dr. Germann was highly critical of the the fact that so far there had not been any formal discussions between the EU and WTO on questions of trade and culture, and he pointed out that during recent international trade negotiations the issue of “cultural exceptions” was not even raised by the EU. He also indicated that culture-related aspects of intellectual property rights might have translated into increasingly well-articulated norms of law. The need to distinguish between patents and public health was also mentioned, and the EU was admonished for negotiating TRIPS-plus, which would “export regulations to jurisdictions that don't have proper competition law to balance protection with IPR”. Mira Burri (World Trade Institute) presented the assessment of implementation of the UNESCO Convention in EU internal policies, and reminded the Commission that mainstreaming a culture obligation into all relevant policy decisions is one of the obligations under the Convention. Ms. Burri said the Commission should be particularly cautious when pushing for extending copyrights “which could also reduce creativity” and “have an important impact on freedom” - especially with respect to the implementation of rules such as "3 strikes" and the enforcement of copyright through intermediaries. Overall, she declared, the interests and rights of users are not duly protected in negotiations. Doris Pack (EPP, Germany and CULT Chairwoman) closed the session with a sharp rebuke of the authors' inclusion of the oft cited Jean Monnet quote “If I had to start all over I would start with culture” (referring to the coal and steel agreements that initially formed the basis of the European Community), calling it “nonsense” (“How could anyone imagine that he ever said that?”), and asking the authors to delete it from an otherwise good study. The UNESCO Study on EU implementation of the 2005 UNESCO Convention is available here: bit.ly/aIPdJr (French and German translations forthcoming). A summary of the UNESCO Study is available here: bit.ly/9XyuKZ.

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UNESCO Study on EU implementation of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
by J.C. DE MARTIN June 7, 2010

June 7, 2010

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [fcf_discussion] "Too much copyright is detrimental to cultural expression" Unesco report (From EDRI gram, Christiana Mauro) Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2010 15:13:16 +0200 From: david(a)davidhammerstein.org <david(a)davidhammerstein.org> Reply-To: fcforum_discussion(a)list.fcforum.net To: IP wg <ip(a)tacd.org>, fcforum_discussion(a)list.fcforum.net ** Copyright and cultural diversity** The conclusions of a study completed by a Geneva-based lawfirm, which summarises the state of implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (ratified by the EC in 2007),was presented to the Culture and Education Committee (CULT). The study focused on fields where the EU would be expected to provide leadership. A good deal of attention is paid to the regulatory implications of digital media and the research team adopts an emphatically critical approach to the idea of enhancing copyright. During the workshop, the head of the study, Christophe Germann, said that while some copyright is necessary, the research team had come to the conclusion that too much copyright “is detrimental to diversity of cultural expression” and that policy-makers in the EU are generally overly exposed to lobbyists that “repeat the prevailing dogma about the need for better copyright law”. According to the assessment, policy-makers who only listen to the loudest and strongest voice fail to implement the parts of the Convention they consider most valuable; diversity of cultural expression is particularly threatened by IPRs “in markets that are dominated by big corporations exercising collective power as oligopolies”. The study considered selective state aid mechanisms in the audiovisual field risky insofar as they not only represent an incentive to clientelism but also serve as a bad model for authoritarian regimes with regard to the possibility of covert censorship and inhibiting cultural entrepreneurship. Dr. Germann was highly critical of the the fact that so far there had not been any formal discussions between the EU and WTO on questions of trade and culture, and he pointed out that during recent international trade negotiations the issue of “cultural exceptions” was not even raised by the EU. He also indicated that culture-related aspects of intellectual property rights might have translated into increasingly well-articulated norms of law. The need to distinguish between patents and public health was also mentioned, and the EU was admonished for negotiating TRIPS-plus, which would “export regulations to jurisdictions that don't have proper competition law to balance protection with IPR”. Mira Burri (World Trade Institute) presented the assessment of implementation of the UNESCO Convention in EU internal policies, and reminded the Commission that mainstreaming a culture obligation into all relevant policy decisions is one of the obligations under the Convention. Ms. Burri said the Commission should be particularly cautious when pushing for extending copyrights “which could also //reduce// creativity” and “have an important impact on freedom” - especially with respect to the implementation of rules such as "3 strikes" and the enforcement of copyright through intermediaries. Overall, she declared, the interests and rights of users are not duly protected in negotiations. Doris Pack (EPP, Germany and CULT Chairwoman) closed the session with a sharp rebuke of the authors' inclusion of the oft cited Jean Monnet quote “If I had to start all over I would start with culture” (referring to the coal and steel agreements that initially formed the basis of the European Community), calling it “nonsense” (“How could anyone imagine that he ever said that?”), and asking the authors to delete it from an otherwise good study. The UNESCO Study on EU implementation of the 2005 UNESCO Convention is available here: bit.ly/aIPdJr <http://edri.jottit.com/bit.ly/aIPdJr> (French and German translations forthcoming). A summary of the UNESCO Study is available here: bit.ly/9XyuKZ <http://edri.jottit.com/bit.ly/9XyuKZ>.

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Conference tomorrow in Brussels on Financing culture in the digital era
by Philippe Aigrain June 7, 2010

June 7, 2010

Should be a landmark event. Thanks for relaying the information as soon as possible to your correspondents in Brussels (or anybody relevant who can be there tomorrow) as the event was publicised only very late. Beware the compulsory free-of-charge registration in order to enter the EP. Best, Philippe Financing culture in the digital era: A Greens/EFA conference Public conference European Parliament - Brussels Tuesday 8 June 2010 09:30-13:00 European Parliament - Room ASP 01G3 - 60, Rue Wiertz - 1047 Brussels - Belgium INTRODUCTION The environmental and social crisis and an ever increasing pressure on natural resources have triggered a renewed reflection on the notion of property. Faced with a rampant privatisation of the access, management and distribution of the planet's common goods, we must rethink our categories. The same kind of reflection applies to "Intellectual Property" rights. In this regard, a restrictive approach of patent rights and copyright can increasingly become an obstacle for access to knowledge. Whereas the digital era has made knowledge and culture accessible for the greater public and contributes to bring about a worldwide knowledge society, the sustainability of the creative class is in question. The aim of this conference is to explore the different ways out of this paradox and find a mutually beneficial solution. How can we guarantee a fair remuneration of authors and creators together with the universal access and circulation of knowledge and culture? PROGRAMME 9:00 Registration at the entrance of the ASP Building rue Wiertz 9:30 Introduction by Eva Lichtenberger MEP, Greens/Efa, coordinator of the Internet Core Group 10:00 Panel II : Presentation of the different models Moderated by Karima Delli MEP * Maja Bogataj Jançiç (Slovenia): Creative Common Q&A * Volker Grassmuk (Germany) : the concept of Culture flat rate Q&A * Philippe Aigrain (France) : Internet and Creation Q&A * Peter Sunde (Sweden) : FLATTR : social micropayments Q&A * Ofelia Tejerina (Asociación de Internautas, Spain) Q&A * Cay Wesnigk (Germany) : Digital rights fair trade Q&A 11:15 Debate between the experts 12:30 Debate with the audience 12:45 Conclusion by Daniel Cohn-Bendit MEP, Co-President of the Greens/Efa in the European Parliament MORE INFORMATION: - The conference will be followed by a working meeting to prepare a position for the Green/Efa group. - Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in EN-FR-DE-NL-DN-SP. - Registration is free but mandatory : please send your name, first name, date of birth, nationality and place of residence to laurence.vandewalle(a)europarl.europa.eu and come to the ASP building at 9:00 with a picture ID.

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Meeting the author(s) - The political meanings of institutional deliberative experiments
by Anna Carola Freschi June 4, 2010

June 4, 2010

Dear Colleagues, here attached you will find the call for participating to the "Meeting the Author" events of SocioLogica, Italian Journal of Sociology, published by the main social sciences publisher in Italy, Il Mulino. The first meeting will be on June 15^th. The authors of the essay "The political meanings of institutional deliberative experiments" will chat with PhD students. The essay and related debate is available full text (after free registration) on: http://www.sociologica.mulino.it/journal/issue/index/Issue/Journal:ISSUE:8 I would be very thankful if you could circulate it to all potentially interested participants. Kind regards, Anna Carola Freschi

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Endorsement for Iceland new "media haven" bill
by Paolo Brini June 4, 2010

June 4, 2010

Iceland new media haven bill before parliament in days. We NEED statements of endorsement NOW or NEVER to core(a)immi.is http://twitter.com/wikileaks

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Rapporto Gallo approvato da JURI
by J.C. DE MARTIN June 2, 2010

June 2, 2010

Ieri mattina 1 giugno 2010 la Commissione JURI del Parlamento Europeo ha approvato il cosiddetto Rapporto Gallo sul copyright. Analisi di Scambio Etico: http://blog.tntvillage.scambioetico.org/?p=6210 Analisi della Quadrature du Net: http://www.laquadrature.net/en/gallo-report-copyright-dogmatism-wins-a-batt… /*"The Gallo report shows how powerful the lobbying of a few anachronic industries can be on the European Parliament. Their influence on policy-making runs counter to the general interest and prevents the EP from exploring paths to a new creative economy. It must be offset in the next fights: the upcoming discussion of the ACTA agreement, the discussions on new criminal sanctions with the future revival of the IPRED2 directive1 <http://www.laquadrature.net/en/gallo-report-copyright-dogmatism-wins-a-batt…>, etc. Measures designed to enforce obsolete business models at the expense of fundamental freedoms won't bring any good to authors or to their public and must be continuously opposed"*/ concludes Jérémie Zimmermann, spokesperson for citizen initiative La Quadrature du Net. juan carlos

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