Law and Innovation

Discussions about copyright rules for the digital age are rising. In the last quarter of 2017, the European Commission (“EC”) has been pretty busy to step up the fight against online piracy and counterfeiting; but online platforms also have a role to play. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of movies, TV shows, software and books are still available to download for free. In this article, we highlight some of the new proposals aiming at protecting copyright and ensuring that illegal content once taken down does not (too quickly) simply reappear. How does the Commission plan to step up the fight against counterfeiting and piracy? Apart from the  copyright proposal   reform adopted in September 2016, the EC recently published a number of important IP documents: -           A Communication paper on “ Tackling Illegal Content Online - Towards an enhanced responsibility of online platforms ”;   -    ...

Fresh and interesting article posted on Re/code about the EU legislative agenda to regulate Internet companies and to prime European firms to better compete with U.S. tech heavyweights. Happy reading! "Tomorrow, when Silicon Valley wakes up, its newest fracas with Europe will be well under way. On Wednesday, European Commission Vice President Andrus Ansip is expected to reveal the “Digital Single Market” strategy , a legislative agenda to regulate Internet companies and to prime European firms to better compete with U.S. tech heavyweights. Basically, they’re trying to give homegrown firms a fighting chance against established American companies. This is different than the European Union antitrust probes into Google , which launched last month. For one, it’s not about slapping wrists when a company crosses a line. Instead — and this is what U.S. tech companies fear — it’s a bid to move the entire line back. Also, it’s not just Google. The regulation is likely to st...