English
Español
Français
Home | News | EU IP rights enforcement directive faces further delays
EU IP rights enforcement directive faces further delays
Friday, 21 November 2003A proposed European Union law strengthening law-enforcement capabilities against intellectual-property violations is facing new delays, according to reports.
The draft directive on the enforcement of intellectual property rights was initially scheduled for a vote in the European Parliament on September 11th of this year, but was delayed until early November, then until this week.
Following the latest delay, granted in response to demands by a majority of the European Parliament's Judicial Affairs Committee, the vote is now scheduled for November 27th.
The directive has proved contentious in recent months, and has faced criticism that its implementation would effectively criminalise many innocuous activities and harm European competition.
Critics from civil liberties groups have warned that large multinationals would be the main beneficiaries of the directive, because of its ban on reverse engineering, while street buskers and book readers for the blind would find their activities rendered criminal.
However, the directives supporters, headed by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), are keen to suggest that the legislation does not go far enough in providing new enforcement mechanisms for IP owners.
The IFPI suggested earlier this year that the proposed measures are not tough enough to hold back an epidemic of counterfeiting, and complained that the tools the proposal introduces to bring actions against infringers do not even reach the levels already available under some existing national laws.
The draft directive on the enforcement of intellectual property rights was initially scheduled for a vote in the European Parliament on September 11th of this year, but was delayed until early November, then until this week.
Following the latest delay, granted in response to demands by a majority of the European Parliament's Judicial Affairs Committee, the vote is now scheduled for November 27th.
The directive has proved contentious in recent months, and has faced criticism that its implementation would effectively criminalise many innocuous activities and harm European competition.
Critics from civil liberties groups have warned that large multinationals would be the main beneficiaries of the directive, because of its ban on reverse engineering, while street buskers and book readers for the blind would find their activities rendered criminal.
However, the directives supporters, headed by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), are keen to suggest that the legislation does not go far enough in providing new enforcement mechanisms for IP owners.
The IFPI suggested earlier this year that the proposed measures are not tough enough to hold back an epidemic of counterfeiting, and complained that the tools the proposal introduces to bring actions against infringers do not even reach the levels already available under some existing national laws.