Ask your MEPs to oppose the "Gallo Report"

Back in June, we discussed the "Gallo Report" on copyright infringement, from the European Parliament's committee for legal affairs (JURI). This report is a bit of a disaster: although it recognises that the available data on copyright infringement is woefully lacking, it nevertheless demands increased regulation and stricter enforcement even in the absence of the data to support it. As if that wasn't foolish enough, it also confuses copyright infringement and counterfeiting. If this report was adopted by the EP as a resolution it would be a serious setback for the Pirate/Green/Social Democrat group of MEPs who have been working hard to promote evidence-based approaches to making policy in this area (among others) within the EP.

In the last couple of weeks, the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) group of MEPs have proposed an alternative resolution which is a bit shorter, but shares many of the same basic problems.

Please write to your MEPs and encourage them to support the Green, Social Democrat and GUE alternative resolution instead of the Gallo report. Carrying out proper, rigorous, scientific research into the real situation regarding 'intellectual property' rights regulation in the European Union, without relying on the inconsistent, incomplete and dubious data supplied by the film and record industries, is a necessary prerequisite to legislation in this area — and the Green, Social Democrat and GUE proposed resolution is the only resolution on the table that recognises this. Christian Engström, Pirate MEP, explains the situation in more detail in a recent blog post.

Time is of the essence: voting on the resolutions will take place this coming Wednesday, 22nd September. I strongly encourage all PPUK members and supporters take a brief half-hour or so out of your schedules to take action on this important matter.