EDRI-member Electronic Frontier Finland (EFFI) submitted a statement on a proposed EU Directive to harmonise the enforcement of intellectual property laws, including copyrights and patents, across member states. According to EFFI, the new directive is based too unilaterally on studies made for the media industry. For example, the proposal compares piracy to drug trade and terrorism. Besides proposing punitive damages, the draft directive suggests that defendants should pay for the publication of judgements in newspapers. Another principle objection of the Fins against the draft Directive is that it treats digital products the same way as the counterfeiting of medicines, alcohol, toys and car parts. EFFI argues that piracy and counterfeiting affecting the safety and the health of individuals should never be compared with infringements on digital products.

The proposal, adopted by the Commission at the end of January, is currently under discussion in the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. A first draft of a 'Working Document' was presented to that Committee by its rapporteur Janelly Fourtou on 28 April. The vote in Legal Affairs is foreseen for 11 September, the one in Plenary for the week following 20 October.

EFFI statement
http://www.effi.org/julkaisut/lausunnot/ipr_enforcement_lausunto.en.ht...

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on measures and procedures to ensure the enforcement of intellectual property rights
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/pdf/2003/com2003_0046en01.pdf

Working Document presented by Fourtou to the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee
http://www.europarl.eu.int/meetdocs/committees/juri/20030428/495099EN....