"Freedom, creativity and the internet" – motion passed at LibDem conference

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Very pleased that the following motion was passed at our conference this morning regrading the Digital Economy Bill. There was an excellent debate and at the end I was with just about everyone else in the hall in voting for it:

Conference notes with concern amendment 120a to the Digital Economy Bill which facilitates website-blocking for alleged copyright infringement and which was passed on 3 March 2010.

Conference however welcomes the stand of Liberal Democrat MEPs against website-blocking and the secrecy of the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations, condemned by the European Data Protection Supervisor for endangering internet users’ fundamental rights.

Conference believes that this amendment to the Digital Economy Bill

a)would alter UK copyright law in a way which would permit courts to order the blocking of websites following legal action by rights-holders

b)would be open to widespread anti-competitive and civil liberties abuses, as the experience with the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act illustrates

c)could have a chilling effect on the internet, freedom of expression, competition and innovation as Internet Service Providers take down and/or block websites to avoid facing the costs of legal action

d)may be illegal under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and other EU law

Conference condemns

a)website-blocking and disconnecting internet connections as a response to copyright infringement

b)the threat to the freedom, dignity and well-being of individuals and businesses from the monitoring of their internet activity, the potential blocking of their websites and the potential termination of their internet connections, which could lead to the closure of internet hotspots and open wifi operated by small businesses, local councils, universities, libraries and others

c)the Digital Economy Bill for focusing on illegal filesharing rather than on nurturing creativity and innovative business models

Conference supports

a)the principle of net neutrality, through which all content, sites and platforms are treated equally by user access networks participating in the Internet

b)the rights of creators and performers to be rewarded for their work in a way that is fair, proportionate and appropriate to the medium

Conference therefore opposes excessive regulatory attempts to monitor, control and limit internet access or internet publication, whether at local, national, European or global level.

Conference calls on the Federal Policy Committee to commission a new policy working group to draw up a full policy paper on Information Technology and related aspects of intellectual property which should, in particular, consider:

1.Reform of copyright legislation to allow fair use and to release from copyright protection works which are no longer available legally or whose authors cannot be identified (orphan works).

2.The ‘common carrier’ concept, under which internet service providers would not be liable for material that they may carry unknowingly on their networks.

3.The creation of a level playing field between the traditional, copyright-based business model and alternative business models which may rely on personal copying and legal filesharing.

0 thoughts on “"Freedom, creativity and the internet" – motion passed at LibDem conference”

  3. Hi Lynne
    Well, this is a wild ride; after last weeks Amendment 120a by the LD Lords we’ve now got this 180! Why are you pleased about this passing? It states that you’re completely against the Digital Economy Bill, which is the only legislation proposed to protect the UK’s digital economy. Are you suggesting that we don’t need to protect our digital economy?

    Who should be responsible for content on the internet? If you don’t want to block websites and regard ISP’s as “common carriers” how would you deal with the obvious perils of the internet? This proposal makes the LDs the only party with no policy to protect industry, and policy that states a belief in an uncontrollable internet, with no limits at all. Surely that only serves to protect criminals and threatens the jobs of UK content creators? What do you mean by “fair use”?

    Shocked that this passed as policy, looks like filesharing lobbyists have controlled the policy making of the party. I don’t see any balanced debate and you seem to of listened to a bunch of people that met online that have the same opinion, because they like stealing stuff and don’t think it should be wrong. Bad day for musicians, digital artists, programmers, journalists, etc; the LDs have joined the Pirate Party!

  8. Lynne,

    I’m glad that you’re pleased that this Emergency Motion passed.

    There is real concern that the government is attempting to barge the dreadful Digital Economy Bill through parliament in the “wash-up”, with practically no debate on the multiple clauses that would change the character of the Internet for the worse. The success of the Net is down to its free nature. As it rapidly becomes a central part of the way we live, jeopardising the Internet’s freedom is fundamentally an attack on our personal freedom.

    Just as the Internet is growing, the electorate are also becoming increasingly tech-savvy. There are sure to be more and more votes up for grabs for the party that grabs the technology bull by its USB horns. This is the first big test to see if we are up to the challenge.

    There is a real urgency required here, and I am worried that failure to act fast will allow the government off the hook. I’m sure the party is working behind the scenes to block the Bill, but from the outside I am concerned that we aren’t acting fast enough to make sure this damaging legislation gets stopped.

    As Chair of the Party’s Technology Board, it would be greatly appreciated if you could write a blogpost on what the party is doing to make sure this Bill fails. It would reassure both party members and the wider tech-savvy electorate that the Lib Dems are the party with the will to stand up for Internet freedom.

    Thanks.

  9. If the Bill does go to wash up – that is an opportunity to veto anything that is in it – as you have to have agreement across the three parties to let it pass. So – not sure that is not a blessing rather than a problem.

  11. Well – have put a call into Don Foster’s office to clarify for me our position if goes to wash up. The Leader of the House today said it would come back to the Commons for Second Reading – rumours are 6th April. I will post more as I find out about progress.