McCarthy et al 2003/02/27 demanding "strong sanctions"

The Text
Annotated Links

1. The Text

We are writing to ask for your support in signing our written declaration on the fight against piracy and counterfeiting in the enlarged EU.

Piracy and counterfeiting have now reached alarming levels in the EU and epidemic proportions in accession countries. Recent Commission statistics showed an increase of 900 per cent in pirated goods. Not only is counterfeiting and piracy leading to an average loss of 17 000 jobs per annum in the EU and millions in lost tax revenue for governments, but counterfeit goods can pose serious health and safety risks to consumers. It is organised crime networks that are behind the pirate trade, using profits from piracy and counterfeiting to finance drug trafficking and terrorism.

Currently there are two important pieces of legislation going through the European Parliament, the enforcement directive and consultation on customs action against counterfeit and pirated goods (repealing Regulation 3295/94/EC).

We are calling on the Council and the Commission to;

ensure that current and forthcoming legislation provides strong, harmonised civil sanctions for any intellectual property infringement and tough criminal penalties for commercial scale counterfeiting;
to promote better cross-border cooperation between law enforcement authorities in the Member States in addition to strengthening the role of Europol in combating counterfeiting and piracy;
to raise consumer awareness that piracy and counterfeiting are not victimless crimes.

We would really welcome your personal signature on this declaration to give a strong signal to Council and Commission of Parliament's concerns at the alarming levels of piracy and counterfeiting.

The written declaration is available to sign this afternoon outside of the Hemicycle. The declaration needs at least 313 signatures.

Yours sincerely

Arlene McCarthy MEP, Janelly Fourtou MEP, Toine Manders MEP, Mercedes Echerer MEP and Marcelino Oreja Arburua MEP

2. Annotated Links

Proposition de directive sur la protection de la propriété intellectuelle COM (2003) 46(01): La Commission Européenne a proposé une directive qui donne aux propriétaires de droits d'auteur, de brevets et d'autres type de droit d'exclusion des pouvoirs plus importants pour poursuivre en justice les contrevenants. La directive est défendue au sein du Parlement Européen par la MPE Janelly Fourtou (femme du pdg de Vivendi) et énergiquement soutenue par la MPE Arlene McCarthy et d'autres. Des groupes de liberté civile sont inquiets que la proposition, en accordant de grands pouvoirs aux titulaires des droits d'exclusion et en négligeant les inquiétudes des droits civils et publics, puisse créer divers effets pervers.
Arlene McCarthy MEP and Software Patents: British Member of the European Parliament, Labor/PSE, appointed by the Europarl Committtee for Legal Affairs and Internal Market (JURI) in 2002/03 to report on the software patentability directive. In June 2002 Arlene McCarthy published a short report which aggressively promoted the agenda of the European Patent Office (EPO). The paper charged the patent critics of having provided only invalid arguments, but failed to quote or refute any of these arguments. Meanwhile various people from the EPO and patent lobby were in contact with McCarthy and boasted that their viewpoint would prevail and the discussion would soon be over. A hearing arranged by McCarthy and the europarl webspace dedicated to the hearing both offered minimal room for critical views. Arlene McCarthy's draft report of 2003/02/19, her explanatory note of 2003/05/03 and her refusal to accept any amendments which limit patentability or patent enforcability in any way show complete dedication to the interests of patent owners. While staying away from all informed discussions and conferences on software patent questions, McCarthy has actively reaching out to the media in order to present herself as a victim of a "dishonest and destructive misinformation campaign" who is sincerely trying to limit patentability. McCarthy has been serving the recording industry and various projects of the Commission's Directorate for the Internal Market (Bolkestein) with equal fervor. McCarthy's political business model appears to consist in (1) aggressively and unconditionally serving of the Commission and big business (2) obtaining favorabl treatment by Commission and Big Business for her electoral region / constituency.
IFPI statement on McCarthy's IP campaign victory
McCarthy @ Labour photo page: As of 2003/07/23, this page contained the photo of Arlene McCarthy with two friends from the music industry and an explanation "Arlene with Jay Berman and Sir George Martin, campaigning for Music Industry rights in the European Parliament"
phm 2003/02/27: MEPs demanding "strong sanctions": Mailing List dicsussions
see also Arlene McCarthy MEP and Software Patents
Janelly Fourtou MEP and Software Patents: Co-initiator of the Appeal


Software Patents > Reviews > CEC/BSA 02-02-20 > McCarthy 03-03-27
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