EU Public Affairs Monitor - 30/07/08

Bertelsmania comes to Luxembourg 11 July 2008
"They don't come much longer and more complex than Case C-413/06 P Bertelsmann and Sony Corporation of America v Impala, yesterday's decision of the Court of Justice of the European Communities in a case that, while not actually being an IP case, says a lot about how the ECJ views the concentration of IP rights -- even weak ones like copyrights.

The ECJ was asked to rule on an appeal against the decision of the Court of First Instance (CFI). That court, in a controversial decision, annulled the European Commission's approval of a 2004 merger between Sony Music and BMG. According to the CFI, the examination into whether there was already collective market dominance in the music industry, and whether that dominance might grow following the Sony BMG deal, was too cursory." [IPKitten]

Did MEPs vote to cut off copyright infringers' internet?
"The Registry reports that Members of the European Parlioament (MEPs) may have accidentally included measures forcing ISPs to cut off internet access for those who infringe copyright through dowloading. The test calls for "cooperation" between ISPs and those "interested in the protection and promotion of lawful content". The trouble is, no one quite knows what "cooperation" means, including Malcolm Harbor, one of the MEPs responsible for the text." [IPKitten]

International Confederation Condemns U.S. Orphan Works Act
"CIAGP is the visual arts division of CISAC. CIAGP collectively acts for over 100,000 artists, photographers and illustrators through artists rights societies in 31 countries. CISAC works towards increased recognition and protection of creators' rights. Founded in 1926, CISAC is a non-profit organization headquartered in Paris."

Well, well, well. Hundreds of thousands of artists around the world have come out against orphan works. And you know what? They managed to do it without taking money from Michael Petricone, Gary Shapiro, or the Digital Freedom Campaign. Or Google for that matter. In fact, these artists are probably the only ones who haven't taken the king's shilling." [MusicTechPolicy]