EU in secret talks to stop "illegal" downloads
The European Commission stands accused of reneging on copyright rules as it is reportedly discussing a private deal to allow companies to disconnect users from the Internet for suspected piracy. Since mid-2010, the European Commission's department for the internal market has been in talks with a select list of companies and organisations on intellectual property rights (IPR) and their enforcement in the EU. A leak claiming that the Commission is facilitating a stakeholder agreement – or memorandum of understanding - to reincarnate draconian copyright rules has worried MEPs, who today demanded an explanation from the EU executive. MEPs and advocacy groups say they are angry at the secretive nature of these talks, which, they argue, will enforce contested copyright rules that were long since thrown out by the European Parliament for infringing fundamental rights.
In a nutshell, the rules could require Internet service providers (ISPs) to monitor daily Internet activity of their customers and notify them and the IPR holders of alleged copyright infringements.