OpenForum Europe (OFE) and Copyright for Creativity (C4C) have the pleasure to invite you to the following event focusing on the issue of intermediary liability, the 1st in a series of events on this topic. We will bring together an MEP, an academic expert and a representative from the civil society to discuss the consequences of extending digital copyright for the open internet.

There seems to be an increasing tendency to extend the responsibility of ISPs compared to the level established in 2000. While courts have been dealing with many grey areas in the legal framework, and balancing competing interests, the European Commission is set to propose a major review of this equilibrium for copyright.

– Does the intermediary liability regime support the growth of a dynamic creative industry in Europe? 
– How would the extension of liability affect the balance of incentives for hosting or caching services to allow users to defend themselves against wrongful claims of copyright infringement used to remove their content? 
– What should be the rights of internet users against wrongful claims to remove their content, how can we protect against an over-reaching claim and its consequences for freedom of expression?
– How could new “players”, “active” hosts or conduits be isolated from others, and what would be the impact on the basic workings of the internet? 
– How would new copyright rules creating direct liability impact the users who create, upload and share content online themselves (UGC)?
– How will the Commission take forward the diverging views expressed in the public consultation?

Online invitation

Panelists introductory speeches

Pictures from the event

The post Intermediary liability through the back door: Consequences of extending digital copyright for the open internet appeared first on OpenForum Europe.

Early  in 2015, the  Chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission  presented his  plans to settle the Net Neutrality question, by applying  Title II  (common carrier) of the Communications Act of 1934 to the  internet in a  vote expected on February 26, 2015. At  the same  time on the other side of the Atlantic, the European Union is  about to decide on its own framework for regulation of the network.  After a vote in Parliament  in 2014 which toughened up the proposal of  the Commission, Member  States are now reportedly close to reaching an  agreement on a  principle-based approach to Net Neutrality. Issues such  as how to tackle  positive discrimination aka ‘zero-rating’ appear to  remain unresolved.

This round table will focus on the regulatory aspects of Net Neutrality, comparing EU and US perspectives, their differences, similarities and implications for the continued openness of a Borderless Internet and in terms  of regulatory  requirements for companies active in both sides of the  Atlantic.

Online invitation

Presentations of the speakers :

Antonios Drossos

Frode Sorensen

The post Regulating a Borderless Internet : EU vs US Perspectives on Net Neutrality appeared first on OpenForum Europe.