Big tech accountability? Read the backstory to today's policy debates here on Iptegrity.

Member States

Now that there is a European Copyright Directive (2017) this section may look out of date. At the time when most of these articles were written - 2008-2012 - matters were more fluid. Several Member States were look at how they could implement laws to address the problem of the day, which was peer-to-peer file sharing. For those who are studying this area of policy, it's an important part of the context for the 2017 law, and indeed for subsequent developments that may not deal with copyright, but do seek to enforce against content using similar measures.

This section of Iptegrity.com discusses Internet policy initiatives in the EU Member States, between 2008-2012, with the exception of France and Britain which are discussed in individual sections of the site.

If you like the articles in this section and you are interested in how policy for Internet, copyright, and net neutrality is made in the EU Member States, you may like my books A Copyright Masquerade: How Corporate Lobbying Threatens Online Freedoms and The Copyright Enforcement Enigma - Internet Politics and the 'Telecoms Package'

If you are interested in EU policy on Internet governance, you may like my book The Closing of the Net .

Will Germany cut off Internet users without a court ruling?

A German MP is in a hurry to make his name by tabling a copyright enforcment law before Christmas. The law will be a variant on the graduated response - 3-strikes - model, where Internet users are sent warnings after which their Internet access will be cut off. Only it is missing the second 'strike' so German activists are calling it a 2-strikes law. The proposal is that

Read more: German MP wants 2 strikes before Xmas

What is the real objective of this proposed Italian copyright enforcement law? Is there a hidden attack on the E-commerce directive?

A proposed new law in Italy threatens to reverse the E-commerce directive and ask ISPs to filter all content for copyright enforcement purposes. Without any subtelty at all, the proposed law attacks all the core principles of the Internet, not to mention freedom of expression and other fundamental rights such as privacy and due process. Its structure is very simple, but in terms of its content, it contains the entire basket of measures which the rights-holders are asking for all around Europe and in Brussels.

Read more: Italy tables 'basket case' anti-download law

For 15 years the United States has been pressing the Italian government for tougher IPR enforcement measures. Eye-opening revelations in a new batch of leaked US diplomatic cables from Wikileaks describe how the American government, via its embassy in Rome, attempted to manipulate Italian domestic policy for intellectual property and copyright. Not only did they work with the Italian copyright industries, but their political tentacles even stetched into the judicial system .

Read more: The Italian job - USG sensitised the magistrates

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About Iptegrity

Iptegrity.com is the website of Dr Monica Horten.

I am a tech policy specialist, published author, post-doctoral scholar. I hold a PhD from the University of Westminster, and a DipM from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Currently working on UK Online Safety Bill.

Recent media quotes: BBC, iNews, Times, Guardian, Politico.  Panelist: IAPP,  CybersecuritySummit. Parliament and Internet. June 2022-July 2023 w/ Open Rights Group.

Iptegrity.com is made available free of charge for non-commercial use. Please link back and attribute Dr Monica Horten.  Contact me to use any of my content for commercial purposes.