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EU Assembly Gives Green Light to Copyright Proposal
The European Parliament Wednesday approved a proposal designed to protect copyright in the Internet age.
The proposed legislation would give owners the right to use encryption to block the duplication of copyright-protected works to limit the illegal downloading of audio and video files from the Internet.
The European Union (EU) draft proposals have been under fire by musicians, the recording industry and consumer protection groups in the weeks leading up to the vote in EU parliament.
The legislation has been described as too weak by the recording industry and as an infringement of individual liberties by consumer groups.
The EU vote follows a decision by the U.S. appeals court on Monday to order online file swapping service Napster to stop its millions of users trading copyrighted material.
The proposed bill, which has been swamped by amendments as legislators seek to appease all sides of the debate, still needs to go to the EU Council of Ministers, decision-making body of the European Union, for final approval.
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