A Great Victory for Authors’ Rights in the European Parliament

The adoption of the Gallo report on the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the internal market by the European Parliament on 22 September is a great victory for European authors.

In spite of a disinformation campaign organised by the usual internet activists, feeding Socialists and Greens with supposed threats on fundamental freedoms, a majority of MEPs acknowledges today the negative impact of online intellectual property infringements on European creative and cultural sectors and calls on the Commission “to urgently present, by the end of 2010, a comprehensive IPR strategy addressing all aspects of IPRs, including their enforcement as well as their promotion, in particular the role of copyright as an enabler and not an obstacle, helping creators earn a living and disseminating their works” (paragraph 3). Good news sometimes come in blocks: the Pirate Party suffered a major defeat in the Swedish legislative elections last Sunday and could not send any representative to the Swedish Parliament, which leaves its sole elected representative in the European Parliament quite orphan. Are times changing?

Cécile Despringre - SAA Executive director