INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY : INTERNET PIRACY: BARNIER SEES NEED FOR REINFORCED EU FRAMEWORK.

Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier has announced that he will present, in the spring, a draft text revising the EU directive on the application of intellectual property rights (2004/48/EC), which addresses violations of online copyright laws. Announcing the review, on 20 January, he emphasised that "theft will not be tolerated".

This declaration echoed the debate that has been sparked by two controversial laws proposed in the US to combat online piracy: the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and the Protect IP Act. Both these laws are currently being discussed in Congress, and the debate has been particularly inflamed by the decision by the American authorities to shut down Megaupload, a file-hosting and viewing website, on 19 January. This decision has had an international impact.

"The Commission is closely monitoring developments in our member states and other countries in the field of intellectual property rights and online piracy, including the current debate in the US Congress on proposed legislation," Barnier said.

During the review of the directive, he emphasised, the Commission "will ensure that operators that solicit copyright infringements by individuals and derive profit from this are rapidly identified and sanctioned by the courts in the member states. We must inhibit businesses from making money on the back of rights holders in order to allow for sustainable business models to develop their legal offers on the internet".

The Commissioner...