[eccr] QuickLinks 258 - 2 February 2003

QuickLinks 258 - 2 February 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

Competition
1. EU - Commission launches investigation into possible state aid for
France Télécom

Computer crime
2. Dark World of Child Porn
3. UK - Sex laws shake-up unveiled
4. US - Agents Wade in Filth to Find Predators

Copyright, trademarks and patents
5. EU - Music industry slates piracy measures
6. The Database Right File
7. The Race to Kill Kazaa
8. UK - Burned CDs bring legal heat down on Internet café chain
9. USA - SBC claims Web frames patent

Data Protection (privacy)
10. EU - Microsoft agrees to change its .NET Passport system after
discussions with EU watchdog

Health
11. ZA - Text messages prove a life-saver

Hotlines
12. IT - Pedofilia: 12 milioni immagini porno in internet

Information society and Internet policy
13. WSIS delegates fail to agree on open-source 'support'

Interception
14. UK - Government stands firm on snooping laws

Internet access and use
15. EU - Accelerating Broadband in Europe

Liability, jurisdiction and applicable law
16. DE - DGB fordert Maßnahmen gegen rechtsextreme Webseiten
17. FR - Responsabilité des prestataires intermédiaires
18. US - Verizon appeals RIAA subpoena

Protection of minors
19. Teens And The Internet Disturbing "Camgirl" Sites Deserve a Closer
Look

Racism and xenophobia
20. CoE - Signature of Council of Europe Protocol against racism in
cyberspace

Safer Internet awareness
21. UK - Government promises safer school surfing

Security and encryption
22. Expert weighs code release after Slammer

Market & Technology

Market
23. US - AOL reports first drop in subscribers
24. US - Porn Profits: Corporate America's Secret

Rating and filtering
25. Clean It Up

Statistics
26. US - Survey: Net crucial but suspect

Who's who

27. The Lord of the Webs

1. EU - Commission launches investigation into possible state aid for
France Télécom (RAPID)
The Commission has decided to launch a formal investigation into the
granting to France Télécom (FT), via a public institution, of a
shareholder's advance in the form of a maximum credit line of
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15233.htm

2. Dark World of Child Porn (ABC)
The murder of innocents. Plunging the dark depths of child porn web
sites commentary By Michael S. Malone.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15226.htm

3. UK - Sex laws shake-up unveiled (BBC)
Adults befriending children with the intention of abusing them face
five years in jail as part of the first radical overhaul of sex laws
for 50 years. The new offence of sexual "grooming" of children will
allow police officers to intervene and arrest a suspect before any
sexual activity takes place. But Home Office minister Hilary Benn said
that while he did not "under-estimate the difficulties" of bringing
such a prosecution, it was the government's view a new offence was
needed to protect children. see also Sex offences crackdown at a
glance.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15247.htm

4. US - Agents Wade in Filth to Find Predators ((Washington Post)
As an FBI agent overseeing undercover work in online chat rooms,
Stacey Bradley must venture into what she calls "the beast of the
Internet" and view images on the computer that turn her stomach, even
make her cry: screen after screen of sexually explicit photographs and
video clips of children, some even depicting torture.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15250.htm

5. EU - Music industry slates piracy measures (BBC)
Music industry bosses have attacked proposals by the European
Commission to try and reduce piracy, describing them as "inadequate".
The Commission's draft directive called for counterfeiters to be
jailed and their bank accounts frozen. But it does not want to
criminalise people who download music from the internet for their own
use. see Commission Press Release and Proposal for a directive of the
European Parliament and of the Council on measures and procedures to
ensure the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Be careful :
this text is provisional. The final proposal will be made available as
soon as possible after a revision by the legal revisers of the
European Commission. Proposed Directive on enforcement of intellectual
property rights: frequently asked questions (RAPID).
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15227.htm

6. The Database Right File (IViR)
On 11 March 1996, almost six years after the first proposal (COM(92)
24 final) was presented to the Council, the European Database
Directive was finally adopted (Directive 96/9/EC). This page contains
a collection of links to relevant documents, case law and publications
regarding the directive.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15248.htm

7. The Race to Kill Kazaa (Wired)
The servers are in Denmark. The software is in Estonia. The domain is
registered Down Under, the corporation on a tiny island in the South
Pacific. The users - 60 million of them - are everywhere around the
world. The next Napster? Think bigger. And pity the poor copyright
cops trying to pull the plug.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15251.htm

8. UK - Burned CDs bring legal heat down on Internet café chain (New
York Times)
A judge in London found a sprawling chain of the EasyInternet café
chain guilty of copyright infringement for allowing customers to
download online music and copy the music onto compact disks. The High
Court rejected EasyInternet's argument that it was not liable when
customers downloaded copyright materials from the Internet.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15240.htm

9. USA - SBC claims Web frames patent (ZDNet)
SBC Communications is claiming a wide-ranging patent on Web frames
that could affect hundreds of sites that use the technology. In a
letter sent to at least one company that uses frames on its Web site,
SBC said it is entitled to as much as $50 million in licensing fees,
although actual figures would depend upon a company's revenue. see
also Dan Gillmor: SBC's patent claim on Web navigation is way off
course (Mercury News).
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15242.htm

10. EU - Microsoft agrees to change its .NET Passport system after
discussions with EU watchdog (RAPID)
The European Union's Working Party on data protection ("Article 29
Working Party") agreed on 29th January a working document on on-line
authentication services. As well as some general material and some
guidelines to be applied by all present or future on-line
authentication systems, the document includes two case studies on the
most prominent systems at present: the Microsoft .NET Passport system
and the Liberty Alliance Project. Following discussions with the
Working Party, Microsoft has agreed to implement a comprehensive
package of data protection measures, which will mean making
substantial changes to the existing .NET Passport system. see also
Press release by the Article 29 working party and Working Document on
on-line authentication services. See also EU - Microsoft agrees to
Passport changes (CNET News.com) .
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15235.htm

11. ZA - Text messages prove a life-saver (BBC)
A scheme using text messages to remind patients to take their medicine
is proving a hit in South Africa.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15243.htm

12. IT - Pedofilia: 12 milioni immagini porno in internet (ansa.it)
Secondo stime dell' organizzazione Save the children, considerate
approssimate per difetto, su Internet ci sono attualmente 70 mila siti
contenenti materiali pedo-pornografici per un totale di 12 milioni di
immagini; solo in Italia, il giro d' affari della pedopornografia e'
stimato intorno agli undici miliardi di euro all' anno. I dati sono
emersi, a Udine, durante la presentazione di Stop it, un' iniziativa
che attraverso un sito web permette di segnalare immediatamente la
presenza di materiale pornografico individuato in rete. 'Stop it' e'
stato cofinanziato dalla Commissione Europea nell' ambito dell'
Internet Action Plan, la strategia dell' Unione Europea per la tutela
dell' infanzia in Internet. Vedere anche Il pedoporno che sfrutta
internet (Punto Informatico)
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15245.htm

13. WSIS delegates fail to agree on open-source 'support' (InfoWorld)
A three-day meeting that brought together Asian governments,
organizations, companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
ended with the approval of a declaration that, among other things,
calls for encouraging the development of open-source software. A draft
of the declaration had called for open source to be "supported" but
was changed after objections from the U.S. government delegation.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15224.htm

14. UK - Government stands firm on snooping laws (BBC)
The UK Government is determined to push ahead with its plans for
internet snooping despite mounting opposition. A report from MPs on
the All Party Internet Group (APIG), recommended that the government
abandon plans to require internet service providers to store customer
data for up to six years.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15232.htm

15. EU - Accelerating Broadband in Europe (RAPID)
Mr Erkki Liikanen, Member of the European Commission, responsible for
Enterprise and the Information Society, Broadband Day Brussels, 28
January 2003
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15244.htm

16. DE - DGB fordert Maßnahmen gegen rechtsextreme Webseiten
(Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Der Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund hat die Bundesländer zum Vorgehen gegen
rechtsextreme Internet-Angebote aufgefordert. Die Länder sollten nicht
länger abwarten, sondern dem Beispiel Nordrhein-Westfalens folgen,
sagte der NRW-Landesvorsitzende des DGB, Walter Haas, in Düsseldorf.
Die Aufsichtsbehörden der Länder seien zum Handeln gesetzlich
verpflichtet, ihr Zögern sei "bedauerlich und unverständlich", sagte
Haas am Holocaust-Gedenktag. siehe auch Erotik-Polizei: Beck will mehr
Schutz für Minderjährige (Spiegel). Der rheinland-pfälzische
Ministerpräsident Kurt Beck (SPD) hat strenge Maßnahmen gegen Porno-
Anbieter im Internet gefordert: "Die Zugangsanbieter fürs Internet
müssen dann illegale Angebote herausfiltern. Ich erwarte, dass die
Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz Sperrungsverfügungen an die Provider
erlässt", sagte Beck mit Blick auf den neuen Jugendmedienschutz-
Staatsvertrag, der im April in Kraft treten soll. Heftige Proteste
gegen neue Web-Zensurgelüste (Heise). Die weiteren Auflagen für
Provider zu Web-Sperrungen, die jüngst vom DGB und vom rheinland-
pfälzischen Ministerpräsidenten Kurt Beck lautstark gefordert wurden,
stoßen in der Internetwirtschaft und bei Netzpolitikern des Bundestags
auf heftige Kritik.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15238.htm

17. 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 toute 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/qlitem15252.htm

18. US - Verizon appeals RIAA subpoena (ZDNet)
Verizon Communications is asking an appeals court to block a court
order pursuant to the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
requiring Verizon to give the Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA) the name of a Kazaa subscriber who allegedly downloaded
hundreds of music recordings.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15228.htm

19. Teens And The Internet Disturbing "Camgirl" Sites Deserve a Closer
Look (FindLaw)
by Harry A. Valetk. A growing number of teens in the U.S. and U.K.,
some as young as 14 years old, are getting into the habit of asking
for handouts online. Known as "camgirls" and "camboys," teens are
posting webcam photos of themselves in skimpy outfits on personal
websites, linking them to wish lists on shopping sites like Amazon,
and then asking admirers for gifts. Typically, gifts include popular
teen items like CDs, DVDs, and stereos. But, some entrepreneurial
teens give special admirers access to "members only" sections that
offer more provocative shots in return for more expensive gifts.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15241.htm

20. CoE - Signature of Council of Europe Protocol against racism in
cyberspace (CoE)
Eleven member States of the Council of Europe (Armenia, Belgium,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands and Sweden) have signed the Additional Protocol to the
Convention on Cybercrime, concerning the criminalisation of acts of a
racist and xenophobic nature, committed through the use of computer
systems. The Austrian President, Thomas Klestil, will sign the
Protocol on Thursday 30 January, during his visit to the Council of
Europe. More states are expected to sign the Protocol in the weeks to
come.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15237.htm

21. UK - Government promises safer school surfing (vnunet.com)
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is ramping up its
action to encourage safe internet use by schoolchildren, and help
school IT managers make informed decisions about web safety strategy.
The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta)
is conducting a review, to be completed before April, of web
filtering, monitoring and detection software.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15246.htm

22. Expert weighs code release after Slammer (IDG)
The Slammer worm was based on sample code published to help explain
the threat posed by the security vulnerability that Slammer exploited,
according to David Litchfield, the security expert who discovered the
vulnerability. The stunning success of the worm in spreading itself
across the Internet had Litchfield questioning whether he will publish
proof-of-concept (or "exploit") code in the future. Experts: Microsoft
security gets an 'F' (Reuters). Computer security experts say the
recent "SQL Slammer" worm, the worst in more than a year, is evidence
that Microsoft's year-old security push is not working. see also Free
benchmark could have found Slammer vulnerability (Computerworld) and
How digital Armageddon was averted (BBC).
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15230.htm

23. US - AOL reports first drop in subscribers (MSNBC)
After a relentless decade-long climb to more than 35 million global
subscribers, the number of America Online users has slipped for the
first time. Tucked in among the more dramatic announcements in its
earnings release, the online division of AOL Time Warner reported the
departure of 170,000 U.S. users
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15236.htm

24. US - Porn Profits: Corporate America's Secret (ABC)
Pornography has grown into a $10 billion business and some of the
nation's best-known corporations are quietly sharing the profits.
Companies like General Motors, AOL Time Warner and Marriott earn
revenue by piping adult movies into Americans' homes and hotel rooms,
but you won't see anything about it in their company reports. And you
won't hear them talking about the production companies that actually
make the films - or the performers the producers hire, men and women
as young as 18, for sex that is often unprotected.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15229.htm

25. Clean It Up (PC Magazine)
Content filtering helps ensure that the Internet is used the right
way. Comparison of 13 filtering solutions for parents, schools and
employers, with two Editor's choices, Cybersitter 2001 and St.
Bernard iPrism, a hardware solution.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15249.htm

26. US - Survey: Net crucial but suspect (Reuters)
Internet users consider the Web an important source of information
even though they increasingly question the credibility of online data.
The UCLA Internet Report, a global survey of thousands of people on
how they use the Web, found that people are less concerned about
personal data and credit card information being stolen online, even
though fewer are using the Internet to shop.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15231.htm

27. The Lord of the Webs (MSNBC)
Berners-Lee is the inventor who gave us the World Wide Web, a system
built on "languages" largely created by Berners-Lee. He¹s now working
on a sequel, called the Semantic Web.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem15225.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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