Yesterday, the Legal Affairs Committee in the European Parliament voted unanimously to introduce an exception to the copyright monopoly to benefit the public at large. This is an important dent in the monopoly’s sanctity.
Christian Engström, Member of European Parliament for the Pirate Party (and also a member of the Legal Affairs Committee), explains the win on his blog. In short, blind people today are banned from sharing Braille books across borders — they must be individually translated into Braille in each country, which would be a waste of resources if it were done, which it isn’t. Instead, the disabled are subjected to a so-called book famine where the culture and knowledge simply isn’t available to them.
With yesterday’s vote in the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), the European Union is going one step closer to stop this and to make any Braille books freely available across country borders.
This was a small win, but its implications are potentially enormous. For the first time in several decades, politicians voted unanimously that the public’s access to knowledge and culture is more important than the copyright monopoly. The symbolic value of that cannot be overstated.
The proposal will now move on to the Cultural Affairs Committee (CULT), and from there to a vote in the European Parliament.
That is a small, but important, dent for the blind in the copyright monopoly.
UPDATE: Pirate Party Australia points out that European Commissioner Barnier still wants to deny culture to the blind. Showdown between Commission and Parliament ahead, like so many times before, with the Commission on the side of Big Corp and the Parliament on the side of… well, the voters.
For first time in decades, a vote that public access to #culture is more important than #copyright: http://is.gd/1KlhUf #infopolicy
RT @Falkvinge: For first time in decades, a vote that public access to #culture is more important than #copyright: http://falkvinge.net/2011/03/01/an-impor… # …
RT @Falkvinge: For first time in decades, a vote that public access to #culture is more important than #copyright: http://is.gd/1KlhUf #infopolicy
Falkvinge: An Important Dent In The Copyright Monopoly http://bit.ly/gupzWA
on #infopolicy: An Important Dent In The Copyright Monopoly http://goo.gl/fb/3oPxd
RT @Falkvinge: For first time in decades, a vote that public access to #culture is more important than #copyright: http://falkvinge.net/2011/03/01/an-impor… # …
RT @Falkvinge: For first time in decades, a vote that public access to #culture is more important than #copyright: http://is.gd/1KlhUf #infopolicy
RT @Falkvinge: For first time in decades, a vote that public access to #culture is more important than #copyright: http://falkvinge.net/2011/03/01/an-impor… # …
RT @Falkvinge: For first time in decades, a vote that public access to #culture is more important than #copyright: http://is.gd/1KlhUf #infopolicy
RT @falkvinge An Important Dent In The Copyright Monopoly http://is.gd/zDQbgG #bookfamine #copyright #eu #infopolicy
An Important Dent In The Copyright Monopoly http://bit.ly/ej8ITt
RT @Falkvinge: For first time in decades, a vote that public access to #culture is more important than #copyright: http://falkvinge.net/2011/03/01/an-impor… # …
RT @Falkvinge: For first time in decades, a vote that public access to #culture is more important than #copyright: http://is.gd/1KlhUf #infopolicy
Falkvinge on Infopolicy: An Important Dent In The Copyright Monopoly:
Yesterday, the Legal Affairs Commit… http://tinyurl.com/4z5pr8t
“The symbolic value of that cannot be understated.” Vad du egentligen menar är “…cannot be overstated”, gissar jag? 🙂
Late-night oops. Thanks. 🙂
While I love what has happened, I cannot stop to wonder how much did the copyright lobby actually fight to win this? Are they “choosing their battles”? I may not get around much, but normally you hear at least echoes of the screams of them, but in this case I haven’t heard much at all, except from what has come from our side. I’m not in the front line so I may be wrong, but I hope this wasn’t a pyrrhus victory, and the copyright industry wont be able to get points for “giving the blind” this.
An Important Dent In The Copyright Monopoly http://bit.ly/ej8ITt #piratpartiet
RT @glynmoody: An Important Dent In The #Copyright Monopoly – http://bit.ly/gE0a59 "to make any #Braille books freely available across EU borders." fab
RT @glynmoody: An Important Dent In The #Copyright Monopoly – http://bit.ly/gE0a59 "to make any #Braille books freely available across EU borders." fab
RT @BMC_series: RT @Falkvinge "Public’s access to knowledge and culture is more important than the copyright monopoly" says EU Parliament http://ow.ly/46dnw
"For the 1st time in *decades* politicians voted that access to knowledge is more important than the (C) monopoly." http://bit.ly/iiYjam
RT @jjmajava: "For the 1st time in *decades* politicians voted that access to knowledge is more important than the (C) monopoly." http://bit.ly/iiYjam
RT @jjmajava: "For the 1st time in *decades* politicians voted that access to knowledge is more important than the (C) monopoly." http://bit.ly/iiYjam
RT @jjmajava: "1st time in *decades* politicians voted: access to knowledge is more important than the (C) monopoly." http://bit.ly/iiYjam
RT @jjmajava: "For the 1st time in *decades* politicians voted that access to knowledge is more important than the (C) monopoly." http://bit.ly/iiYjam
Suggestion: Maybe all retweets shouldn’t get backlinks?
I’m trying to integrate what’s being said in a meaningful way, but right now the tweets take way too much space in the discussion. I’ll be working to improve this.
RT @kettelhoit: An Important Dent In The Copyright Monopoly http://bit.ly/ej8ITt #piratpartiet
@StopActaNow gano la gente!! http://falkvinge.net/2011/03/01/an-important-dent-in-the-copyright-monopoly/ #copyright #ACTA
RT @glynmoody An Important Dent In #Copyright Monopoly http://bit.ly/gE0a59 to make any #Braille books freely available across EU borders
[…] Falkvinge: An Important Dent In The Copyright Monopoly […]
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