[eccr] QuickLinks 257 - 26 January 2003

QuickLinks 257 - 26 January 2003

HTML version: http://www.qlinks.net/quicklinks/latest.htm
Forthcoming events: http://www.qlinks.net/quicklinks/events.htm
Home Page: http://www.qlinks.net

Legal and regulatory issues

Computer crime
1. CA - Police frustrated in anti-porn battle

Copyright, trademarks and patents
2. Canada blocks free Net TV
3. China to clean up Internet game piracy
4. Commentary: Digital denial
5. Copyright's Role in the Future
6. Microsoft offers CD copy-protection
7. Music piracy 'great', says Robbie
8. NO - Student slapped with music-piracy fine
9. US - Tech firms fight copy-protection laws

Data Protection (privacy)
10. Protection of Privacy

e-Government
11. Technology-based Democratic Process
12. US - Congress plans to slash e-government funding
13. US - Government opens online portal to rulemaking

Hotlines
14. UK - Child porn complaints rocket

Information society and Internet policy
15. Survey: The Internet Society

Interception
16. FR - Les parlementaires créent un accès direct aux données
informatiques
17. US - Senate limits Pentagon 'snooping' plan

Internet access and use
18. Constant internet connectivity

Liability, jurisdiction and applicable law
19. ES - Detenidos dos alumnos de un instituto de Barcelona por
injuriar y calumniar a sus profesores en una página web
20. FR - Responsabilité des prestataires intermédiaires
21. RIAA: ISPs should pay for music swapping
22. US - Judge orders Verizon to reveal identity of KaZaA user

Mobile and wireless
23. EU - Consumers' organisation points to problems with mobile
telephony

Protection of minors
24. BE - Dutroux renvoyé aux assises en «prédateur solitaire»

Racism and xenophobia
25. CoE - Racist and Xenophobic Content on the Internet - The
Additional Protocol to the Convention on cybercrime
26. Strategies to Tackle Racism and Xenophobia on the Internet

Market & Technology

Employment and social issues
27. Office surfers face wipeout

Junk mail (spam)
28. US - Building a better spam trap

Market
29. UK - Ringtones hit right note for record industry

Technology
30. US - Microsoft to reveal source code to governments

Who's who

31. Chairwoman of Music Trade Group RIAA to Step Down
32. UK - 'Outsider' will be named as first head of Ofcom

Useful addresses

33. Law Gateway

1. CA - Police frustrated in anti-porn battle (Reuters)
The arrest of rock star Pete Townshend in an international crackdown
on child pornography has prompted Canadian police to highlight their
difficulties in investigating about 2,300 suspects who used credit
cards to access Internet kiddie-porn sites. Toronto Police, told
Reuters "Police in the U.K. have arrested 1,500 paedophiles in the
last few months. We in Canada have been working on this for over two
years and we've arrested less than 5 percent of (the suspects),"
Gillespie said Operation Snowball, Canada's largest child pornography
investigation, underscored the lack of co-operation between federal,
provincial and municipal police forces across the world's second-
largest country in such major investigations.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15199.htm

2. Canada blocks free Net TV (CNET News.com)
Canadian regulators ruled that it is illegal to put broadcast TV
signals onto the Internet without permission, dashing the hopes of
entrepreneurs hoping to create new Net TV businesses.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15214.htm

3. China to clean up Internet game piracy (Reuters)
China plans to launch a campaign next month to clean up Internet game
piracy in a bid to improve protection of intellectual property, the
official Xinhua news agency has said. Topping the hit list are illegal
Internet cafe owners who make big profits by setting up on-line
servers to steal Web games from legitimate operators, Xinhua quoted an
official at the Ministry of Culture in charge of the campaign as
saying.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15204.htm

4. Commentary: Digital denial (Forrester Research)
by George F. Colony, Chairman and CEO. Digital media will transform
the music and film industries--whether they like it or not.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15202.htm

5. Copyright's Role in the Future (Economist)
See also leading article Copyrights - A radical rethink. The best way
to foster creativity in the digital age is to overhaul current
copyright laws. Over the past 50 years, as a result of heavy lobbying
by content industries, copyright has grown to such ludicrous
proportions that it now often inhibits rather than promotes the
circulation of ideas, leaving thousands of old movies, records and
books languishing behind a legal barrier.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15222.htm

6. Microsoft offers CD copy-protection (MSBNC)
Microsoft announced the introduction of new digital rights software
aimed at helping music labels control unauthorized copying of CDs, one
of the biggest thorns in the ailing industry¹s side
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15193.htm

7. Music piracy 'great', says Robbie (BBC)
Singer Robbie Williams has said he believes music piracy is a "great"
idea. He made the comment at a music trade fair in Cannes, predicting
it would anger his record company EMI.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15198.htm

8. NO - Student slapped with music-piracy fine (Reuters)
A court has fined a Norwegian student over his song-swapping Web site
in a ruling hailed by the music industry as a victory for giants such
as EMI and Sony, who say their revenue has suffered from online music
piracy. The court in Lillehammer ruled that Frank Bruvik broke the law
when he made his own version of the now-closed U.S. Web site
Napster.com, enabling users to download songs by clicking on links on
his site, Napster.no.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15203.htm

9. US - Tech firms fight copy-protection laws (CNET News.com)
Technology groups are going on the offensive against Hollywood in a
bitter dispute over a call for government-mandated copy protection.
The Alliance for Digital Progress, a coalition of companies including
Apple Computer, Microsoft, Dell Computer, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-
Packard and Intel have joined together to oppose legislation backed by
the movie studios that would allow the U.S. government to set
antipiracy standards for PCs and consumer-electronics devices.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15195.htm

10. Protection of Privacy (Economist)

http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15218.htm

11. Technology-based Democratic Process (Economist)
see also Government Authority.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15220.htm

12. US - Congress plans to slash e-government funding (internet.com)
Congress is proposing to dramatically slash 2003 funding for the
Electronic Government Act passed amid much fanfare last November.
President Bush signed the bill in December, requesting E-Gov funding
of $45 million this year and ramping up to $150 million by 2006.
Instead, Congress plans to gut the funding by almost 90 percent to
only $5 million.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15200.htm

13. US - Government opens online portal to rulemaking (Washington
Post)
With the introduction of www.regulations.gov, the Bush administration
is taking the first step to expand electronic rulemaking to the entire
government and populace. The goal is to enable anyone with a computer
and Internet access to find every federal regulation that is open for
comment, read it and submit their views.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15201.htm

14. UK - Child porn complaints rocket (Guardian)
The Internet Watch Foundation, a UK industry funded body set up to
battle the growing problem of child pornography on the web, said that
the number of complaints had risen 64% to 17,868 in 2002.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15212.htm

15. Survey: The Internet Society (Economist)
Despite the dotcom boom and bust, the computer and telecommunications
revolution has barely begun. Over the next few decades, the internet
and related technologies really will profoundly transform society.
(Recommended). see Protection of Privacy, Constant internet
connectivity, Copyright's Role in the Future, Technology-based
Democratic Process, Government Authority and Social and Political
Ramifications.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15205.htm

16. FR - Les parlementaires créent un accès direct aux données
informatiques (Forum des droits sur l'internet)
Les députés ont adopté le 16 janvier 2003 plusieurs amendements à la
loi sur la sécurité intérieure (LSI) facilitant l¹accès direct et la
consultation à distance par les autorités judiciaires des données de
connexion conservées notamment par les opérateurs de
télécommunications.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15192.htm

17. US - Senate limits Pentagon 'snooping' plan (CNET News.com)
The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to slap restrictions on a
controversial Pentagon data-mining program that critics say would
amount to a domestic spying apparatus. By unanimous consent, the
Senate inserted a moratorium on the program into a massive spending
bill. The vote represents an unusual triumph of privacy concerns over
the Bush administration's arguments that the Pentagon's Total
Information Awareness (TIA) program would be useful for national
security. If fully implemented, TIA would link databases from sources
such as credit card companies, medical insurers and motor vehicle
agencies in hopes of snaring terrorists.Letter from CDT and other
civil liberties groups.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15206.htm

18. Constant internet connectivity (Economist)

http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15221.htm

19. ES - Detenidos dos alumnos de un instituto de Barcelona por
injuriar y calumniar a sus profesores en una página web (Delitos
informáticos)
Agentes del Cuerpo Nacional de Policía han procedido a la detención de
dos jóvenes de quince años, estudiantes de un instituto de Barcelona,
acusados de la realización de páginas web a través de las cuales,
supuestamente, realizaban calumnias e injurios a sus profesores, según
ha informado Europa Press.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15208.htm

20. FR - Responsabilité des prestataires intermédiaires (Forum des
droits sur l'Internet)
Le Gouvernement a introduit au sein du projet de loi pour la confiance
dans l¹économie numérique une série de mesures destinées à transposer
la directive européeenne sur le commerce électronique du 8 juin 2000
relative à la responsabilité des prestataires intermédiaires. Ainsi
sur le plan civil, les personnes qui assurent, même à titre gratuit,
le stockage direct et permanent de signaux, d¹écrits, d¹images, de
sons pourront voir leur responsabilité engagée dès lors "où elles ont
eu la connaissance effective de leur caractère illicite (...) elles
n¹ont pas agi avec promptitude pour retirer ces données ou rendre
l¹accès à celles-ci impossible". Au niveau pénal, le projet de loi
prévoit que la responsabilité de ces prestataires pourra être retenue
que "si, en connaissance de cause, ils n¹ont pas agi avec promptitude
pour faire cesser la diffusion d¹une information ou d¹une activité
dont elles ne pouvaient ignorer le caractère illicite". Visant à la
fois les fournisseurs d¹accès à l¹internet et les hébergeurs, le
projet de loi propose également de permettre aux juges des référés
d¹ordonner soit la suppression d¹un contenu illicite, soit d¹ordonner
toute mesure susceptible "de cesser d¹en permettre l¹accès".
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15191.htm

21. RIAA: ISPs should pay for music swapping (Reuters)
Hillary Rosen, chairman and CEO the Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA), has said that telecommunications companies and
Internet service providers will be asked to pay up for giving their
customers access to free song-swapping sites. The music industry is
in a tailspin with global sales of CDs expected to fall six percent in
2003, its fourth consecutive annual decline. A major culprit, industry
watchers say, is online piracy. Now, the industry wants to hit the
problem at its source--Internet service providers (ISPs).
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15216.htm

22. US - Judge orders Verizon to reveal identity of KaZaA user (EFF)
A judge ordered Verizon Internet Services to divulge the name of a
Verizon subscriber to the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) because the subscriber allegedly used KaZaA peer-to-peer
software to share music online. see also Recording Firms Win Copyright
Ruling (Washington Post). see RIAA v Verizon .
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15194.htm

23. EU - Consumers' organisation points to problems with mobile
telephony (EurActiv)
A new pan-European survey, published by the European Consumers'
Organisation BEUC, reveals that mobile phone users are plagued by
many problems in the field of pricing, roaming charges, unfair or
misleading contract terms and concerns about the possible health
hazards.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15196.htm

24. BE - Dutroux renvoyé aux assises en «prédateur solitaire»
(Libération)
La justice belge a écarté la thèse d'un réseau pédophile. Procès prévu
l'année prochaine. Marc Dutroux doit répondre de l'assassinat de deux
fillettes et de deux adolescentes, du meurtre d'un de ses complices,
de l'enlèvement, de la séquestration et du viol de neuf enfants ou
adolescents. Après six ans et demi d'instruction, la chambre
d'accusation de Neufchâteau, près de la frontière luxembourgeoise, a
renvoyé Marc Dutroux et son épouse, Michèle Martin, ainsi qu'un
troisième complice devant la cour d'assises.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15213.htm

25. CoE - Racist and Xenophobic Content on the Internet - The
Additional Protocol to the Convention on cybercrime (IJCLP)
by Gianluca Esposito. The paper presents the Additional Protocol to
the Cyber Crime Convention of the Council of Europe, which deals with
acts of racist and xenophobic nature committed trough computer
systems.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15210.htm

26. Strategies to Tackle Racism and Xenophobia on the Internet (IJCLP)
by Isabelle Rorive. The paper analyses different attempts to tackle
the problem of racist and xenophobic content on the Internet. The
question whether internet content should be regulated at all is
debatable but if regulation is wanted, such content needs to be
criminalized and criminal laws against such content need to be
enforced. This task is rendered difficult, as different standards
exist in Europe and in the US. The author concludes that the co-
regulative approach which targets intermediaries provides some
relatively effective means to tackle the problem of racist and
xenophobic content on the Internet.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15211.htm

27. Office surfers face wipeout (ZDNet Uk)
High-speed Net access at the office has long outstripped its reach at
home, tempting workers to enjoy the benefits of broadband for personal
as well as business pursuits. Now a broad corporate crackdown on
office Net use may be looming, driven by cost-cutting efforts and
increased scrutiny of workers' online activities.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15197.htm

28. US - Building a better spam trap (CNET News.com)
Unsolicited e-mail messages, or spam, are on track to make up the
majority of traffic on the Internet. But a group of researchers and
developers hopes to halt that by coming up with better ways of
blocking those messages from consumers' in-boxes. The Spam Conference,
held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was originally
intended to be an informal gathering of 30 people or so. But more than
500 registered to discuss and debate the best way to battle the
problem.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15215.htm

29. UK - Ringtones hit right note for record industry (Guardian)
Record companies are banking on the scourge of teachers and those
travelling on public transport - the novelty mobile phone ringtone -
to compensate for falling sales. Figures show the revenues record
companies pull in from royalties on ringtones have soared 58% over the
last year, while global record sales have dropped by a fifth in the US
over the past two years.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15190.htm

30. US - Microsoft to reveal source code to governments (AP)
The source code Microsoft has long guarded as secret intellectual
property is now becoming the carrot dangled before governments to keep
them from defecting to competitors' software. Microsoft announced a
Government Security Program (GSP) to make the underlying code for its
Windows operating system available to several governments and
governmental agencies for viewing. see also Open-Source Windows? Uh,
Kinda;
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15189.htm

31. Chairwoman of Music Trade Group RIAA to Step Down (Reuters)

http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15223.htm

32. UK - 'Outsider' will be named as first head of Ofcom (Times)
The Government will ratify the appointment of Stephen Carter as the
first chief executive of Ofcom.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15209.htm

33. Law Gateway (SOSIG)
The SOSIG Law Gateway provides guidance and access to global legal
information resources on the Internet.The service aims to identify and
evaluate legal resource sites offering primary and secondary materials
and other items of legal interest. Descriptive records and links are
created for legal service sites and specific documents. see also
European Union Law.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15207.htm

Main Sources and Contributors: Baker & McKenzie E-Law Alert, Michael
Geist BNA - ILN, cybertelecom.org, jugendschutz.net, Gerhard Heine.

QuickLinks
Links to news items about legal and regulatory aspects of Internet and
the information society, particularly those relating to information
content, and market and technology.



QuickLinks is edited by Richard Swetenham (richard.swetenham /at/ cec.eu.int)


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