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Europe's 'DMCA on steroids' gets go-ahead
News A proposed European Union law strengthening law-enforcement capabilities against intellectual-property violations has passed a crucial stage in its progress toward final approval, having been adopted by the European Parliament's judicial affairs...
[November 27, 2003, 16:35]
EU throws support behind wireless-broadband rollout
News In a vote today, the EU parliament adopted a report saying that states should reserve the same parts of the spectrum for the same types of services to ensure they work across the continent. The parliament also said that national regulators should...
[September 25, 2008, 9:24]
EU Parliament forgives Council for adopting patent directive
News The European Parliament (EP) agreed on Wednesday that the EU Council did not break procedural rules when it adopted the software patent directive earlier this month. The EU Council adopted the draft software patent directive on 7 March, despite the...
[March 31, 2005, 13:00]
Software patent directive adopted
News The directive will now be passed to European Parliament, which can reject or amend the proposal, for a second reading. The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) accused the EU Council of ignoring the views of both the national...
[March 7, 2005, 9:45]
Software patent limits 'go too far'
Talkback I]t would be particularly desirable to reconsider the practice whereby the [European Patent] Office sees fit to obtain payment for the patents it grants", as the parliament dryly remarks in Recital 7b of the adopted resolution.
[October 1, 2003, 15:58]
EU Parliament forgives Council for adopting patent directive
Talkback "The European Parliament (EP) agreed on Wednesday that the EU Council did not break procedural rules when it adopted the software patent directive earlier this month. Right, well, I don't know about the rest of you's but I'm off to the EP to break...
[March 31, 2005, 19:50]
Software patent directive adopted
Talkback Let's not get overexcited - all this means is that the text proposed by the European Council will be passed over to the European Parliament for the next round of debate. The Directive is still very far from being adopted.
[March 7, 2005, 12:39]
Commission refuses to rewrite patent directive
News It has yet to be formally adopted by the European Council, but if this does happen the directive will return to the Parliament. An EC spokesman confirmed on Monday that the Commission had declined requests from the European Parliament to go back to...
[February 28, 2005, 15:45]
EC pushes on with patent directive
News In order for the committee's opinion to be adopted by the parliament it has to be voted by plenary. The European Commission is pushing the EU Council to ratify the controversial software patent directive, sweeping aside the concerns raised last...
[February 11, 2005, 15:25]
Europe moves away from cookie clampdown
News Back in November 2001, the Parliament adopted an amendment to the draft electronic data collection and privacy directive to restrict the use of cookies. Internet users will not be warned before a cookie is installed on their computer if the...
[April 18, 2002, 16:23]
EU lawmakers threaten open source
News The proposed directive, which has not yet been approved by the European Parliament, includes various penalties to those caught infringing IP rights, including four years' imprisonment; fines; seizure and destruction of the offending goods; closure...
[August 1, 2005, 17:45]
Patent directive deadlocked
News As far as I know the Commission has not yet formally adopted a decision to the request put forward by the European Parliament," said the spokeswoman. Earlier this month the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) of the European Parliament demanded that...
[February 23, 2005, 16:25]
EU to throw patents in with the bath water
News Once the Council has adopted the directive, it will go back to the EU Parliament for a second reading. The proposed software patents directive caused a great deal of controversy both in the European Parliament and the Council.
[December 17, 2004, 16:15]
EU data-retention directive leaked
News A similar conclusion was reached last month by the European parliament, which adopted a report questioning the necessity of a separate but similar data retention proposal, put forward by four EU member states.
[August 2, 2005, 9:45]
Europe moves to monitor all Internet traffic
News However, the new proposals go much further and would require changes to the data protection and privacy directives, as well as demanding massive amendments to the telecommunications directive currently being reviewed by the European Parliament.
[May 17, 2001, 7:48]
e-Communications directive: MEPs vote on cookie compromise
News Cookies: in its controversial vote last November, the European Parliament had originally voted to make the use of cookies subject to users' prior consent. The Directive still needs to be formally adopted by the European Council (this expected to...
[June 11, 2002, 16:02]
Unbundling made law but BT is making no promises
News The European Parliament votes in favour Thursday of the EC's proposals to open up the telecoms market across Europe, promising lower access prices and a faster rollout of broadband services. The ratification from the European Parliament means the...
[October 27, 2000, 7:05]
Europe unites to keep online video unregulated
News We're confident that the European Parliament in its final vote in December will pave the way for a good final text that will be adopted under the German presidency [of the European Union] in the first half of 2007," he added.
[November 15, 2006, 17:21]
Spam plan fails in EU committee
News The European Parliament is unlikely to announce a ban on unsolicited email, after a committee decided not to approve an "opt-in" junk mail policy. If opt-out is approved by the European Parliament -- as it is expected to be -- users will have to...
[July 12, 2001, 12:01]
EU vote 'widens loopholes' in software patent directive
News Amendments to the EU's directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions that would have prevented companies taking out pure software patents were largely thrown out by the European Parliament legal affairs committee (JURI) at a a...
[June 21, 2005, 13:25]
