27
JAN
2012

Twitter to remove unlawful tweets: threat to free speech or the reality of internet business?

Microblogging platform Twitter has announced they are now able to remove tweets and accounts at the country level. The company is willing to remove certain content, if required by national law. The move by Twitter is heavily criticized in media worldwide. Many journalists see this new policy as a threat to free speech online. But is that fear justified?The company speaks in terms of removing...
26
JAN
2012

'A radio model for internet is naive'

Earlier this week Bart Schermer reacted on Dutch MP Kees Verhoeven (D66, Democratic Party) and Erwin Angad Gaur's (Home Copy Foundation) plans to impose both a radio model and a home copy levy on internet use. According to Verhoeven and Angad Gaur, these measures are more advantageous than a download ban, as proposed by Dutch State Secretary of Justice...
26
JAN
2012

IFPI optimistic about growth of digital music market

Despite global internet piracy, the music industry remains optimistic about the growing digital music market. In its Digital Music Report 2012, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), reports that the turnover on paid downloads and streaming subscriptions has increased. In 2010 this turnover from digital sales contained 27% of the total music industry. In 2011 this share...
25
JAN
2012

Belgian Green parties propose ‘global license’ on copyright protected works

The Belgian ecological parties ‘Groen’ and ‘ECOLO’ ( Écologistes Confédérés pour l'organisation de luttes originales) advocate for the introduction of a so-called “global license” on copyright protected works. The Greens suggest that internet providers pay an objective contribution to the copyrights holders, to give the copyright owner some compensation for the loss of royalties on their...
24
JAN
2012

Dutch Secretary of Justice responds to questions on copyright reform plans

Last Friday, the Dutch Secretary of Security and Justice Mr. Fred Teeven, responded to Parliamentary questions on the proposed reform of Dutch copyright law.  The letter by Mr. Teeven includes the following points:  Mr. Teeven agrees with Liberal MP Joost Taverne, that the government could support efforts to set up one central collecting society (“collectieve...