Copyright, intellectual property and digital freedom: the politics of tomorrow
Andrea de Liberato
Posted October 5, 2009 by Libertiamo.It
- Sometimes Europe is shaken by the wind of the news: unprecedented political issues are as dramatically urgent . In the eighties, there appeared the phenomenon of the Greens, which is still important, especially in Northern Europe and France, where, under the leadership of Daniel Cohn-Bendit, ecologists have recently won a resounding electoral success. That guide in Italy, without doubt, failure and the absence of which will, in a few days, the dissolution of the party.
After more than twenty years, we come again to put faced with a disruptive innovation: digital freedom. In past elections, the Piratpartiet Falkvinge of Sweden scored a flattering result, becoming the third political force in the country and electing a representative to Brussels. Were born in other countries similar formations, which have, at least for now, proved less successful: after all, could not benefit from the enormous media event for The Pirate Bay and the subsequent trial.
It seems to me no doubt, however, that we are facing a new generation of civil rights groups. This is a political fact of extreme importance, in contrast to the lukewarm interest shown so far by the forces of our politicians. In Italy computerization of the mass was only partly built and good to take to the poll commissioned a few months ago by Il Corriere della Sera, the vehicle telematics is still little influence on the decisions of the Italian electorate: During the recent election for renewal of the European Parliament, in fact, just over three per cent of Italian voters would be informed on the network and would have been somewhat influenced by it. The state of things is intended is likely to change and it is easy to foresee that, from a few years, the consumption of information on the network continue to grow and become more influential in the formation of political consciousness and electoral choices. If
digital rights, understood as the right to access to network technology, are more or less peacefully recognized at least the citizens of the West fed, it is still much debate your freedom to share material protected by intellectual property laws (music, film, literature, computer programs, etc.).. Using that millions of young men of the network will, inevitably, updating the concept of copyright and revisiting the principle of fair compensation.
E 'was recently approved in France the law Hadopi 2 (or, rather, the law establishing the Haute Autorité pour la diffusion des ouvres et la protection des droits sur l'Internet), after being rejected in his first presentation, by the Constitutional Council. The law, ordered by Sarkozy, expected after three offenses disconnect (for a period between two months and one year) user caught illegally downloading computer covered by copyright. If, in some ways, this is a freedom-law, on the other hand protect the property (intellectual, in this case) is one of the few tasks that even the most fervent anti-statism recognize the State. In addition, the Hadopi represent an institution will end up at least disturbing, if compared to the right to privacy, anonymity and confidentiality of correspondence, the principles that made their Piratpartiet immediately.
The French left has put forward a counterproposal, very little liberal (and God forbid) to introduce a tax on telecommunication companies to do (the so-called broadband tax). A measure which, predictably, would place the burden on the consumer's pockets. Not to mention the fact that, if applied in our country, such a mechanism might be one of the properties managed by parastatal booths, the SIAE (Italian Authors and Publishers).
Even Sarkozy's law has, in my view, a huge limit, which lies in its difficult application, wanting to forcibly normalize a mass phenomenon. Allow me a comparison: the prohibition on soft drugs has not prevented a very wide range of young people who use it. It is no coincidence that, already last year, the Norwegian police has refused to commit nell'accalappiare the occasional pirate.
It is, therefore, a very complex problem and difficult to resolve because, beyond the Far West today, so far there are no role models applied. With the increasing and uncontrollable expansion of the network and the growing number of its visitors, is a theme that appears to be poised to become central in the European political debate (In some countries it already) and, sooner or later, also Italian.
slowly, something begins to move us too. Dates back a few days ago, the presentation of a survey commissioned by the Permanent Nielsen on digital content, according to which about a quarter of Italians connected to the network would be willing to pay to enjoy movies on the Internet, as pointed out by Lamberto Mancini, Secretary General of 'Anica (the union of the audiovisual industries), a legal market and the costs are extremely competitive and attractive to consumers is undoubtedly one of the ways ahead.
0 comments:
Post a Comment