Hearing on future EU patent policy The European Commission will hold a public hearing on future EU patent policy on 12 July 2006. This is the second step of the public consultation launched in January 2006 with the aim of collecting stakeholders' views on the patent system in Europe and seeking views on what measures could be taken in the near future to improve this system.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/796&...

Commission consultation on copyright levies The questionnaire on "Copyright levies in a converging world" is submitted for public consultation to ensure that later Commission proposals are technically viable, practically workable and based on a bottom-up approach. Stakeholders and Member States already provided valuable input in the

In an Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) event held in Brussels on 14 June, Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, expressed again her position to support the EC proposal to revise the Television Without Frontiers (TVWF) Directive.

"There will be no regulation of the Internet," Mrs. Reding told ZDNet UK stating that the extension of the Directive is supposed to provide basic rules to protect minors online, and to prevent incitement to hatred and over-repeated advertising.

The Commissioner also said that the proposed provisions are only basic tier rules and self-regulation can be supported better by a legal framework. The Government would intervene only when self-regulation does not work.

While the Commissioner considers the Directive will be beneficial to the

In a ministerial meeting that took place in Riga on 12 June 2006, ministers from European countries have signed a declaration to diminish the gap in Internet usage for groups at risk of exclusion, but also to increase broadband coverage.

The Riga Ministerial Declaration was signed by ministers of 34 European countries from EU Member States, accession and candidate countries, and EFTA/EEA countries. The declaration shows the commitment of the countries to an "Internet for all" action plan that should allow the disadvantaged groups to access the Internet.

One of the conclusions of the meeting was the necessity to assess the need for legislative measures in the field of e-Accessibility, and to take into account accessibility requirements in the review of the electronic communications regulatory framework beginning in June 2006. Another

The European Commission proposal to regulate commercial audio and video broadcasts over the Internet and mobile phones, continues to be strongly opposed by supporters of free speech, but also tranditional and new media providers.

At the meeting of Education, Youth and Culture Council in Brussels (18-19 May 2006) the proposal for a directive amending the Directive on the pursuit of television broadcasting activities was discussed. The debate covered, in particular, the following issues in relation with the proposed directive: the appropriateness and the sustainability of the distinction between linear and non-linear services; the common rules applying to both categories of services; the extent of the modernization and simplification of television advertising and teleshopping rules.

“Arming Big Brother”, a new report by Transnational Institute (TNI) and Statewatch, reveals the army industry lobbying has led to creating a new European security-industrial complex. According to this report, EU is preparing to spend to €1 billion per year on new "research" into surveillance and control technologies.

Following the demands made in 2003 by the GoP (Group of Personalities) including EU officials and Europe’s largest IT and arms companies arguing Europe multinationals needed a billion euros per year to compete with US multinationals and Government, the European Commission appointed a European Security Research Advisory Board to develop and implement the future European Security Research Programme (ESRP).

Ben Hayes, the author of the report stated “The ESRP is completely

A new progress report by the European Commission on the evolution of the electronic signatures in the European Union was made public on 17 March 2006. The report highlights the low usage of the qualified electronic signatures by European businesses and citizens.

The report focuses on the "Directive on a Community framework for electronic signatures" adopted in 1999. The directive has introduced legal certainty with respect to the general admissibility of electronic signatures, all the general principles being now included in the legislation of all 25 Member States.

The commission sees a much larger use of the qualified electronic signatures - based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology - in the future with the introduction of the electronic ID cards and in some e-government services, such as on-line income tax returns.

The European Commission sent a letter to Microsoft on 10 March 2006 stating Microsoft was still not compliant with the EC Treaty rules on abuse of dominant position.

In March 2004, The Commission ordered Microsoft to disclose complete and accurate interface documentation, which would allow non-Microsoft workgroup servers to achieve full interoperability with Windows PCs and servers. The Commission issued a decision on 10 November 2005 that warned Microsoft to comply by 15 December 2005 with its obligations to: (i) supply complete and accurate interoperability information; and (ii) make that information available on reasonable terms or face a daily fine of up to €2 million. The Commission then sent a Statement of Objections to Microsoft on 22 December 2005.

The letter sent on 10 March 2006 includes a report from Neil Barrett,

During a high-level panel discussion at CeBIT 2006 Mrs. Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, announced a new public debate on RFID, organised by the European Commission. Its purpose is to make an inventory of concerns that might necessitate legislative changes.

Mrs. Reding said that "These networks and devices will link everyday objects into an 'internet of things' that will greatly enhance economic prosperity and the quality of life. But as with any breakthrough, there is a possible downside - in this case, the implications of RFID for privacy".

The public debate will rely on a series of workshops addressing RFID applications, end-user issues, interoperability and standards & frequency spectrum requirements. These workshops will take place in Brussels between