Deadline Passes for European Digital Copyright Law

[FreeUS]

A deadline for adopting a new EU law on copyright protection has passed with just two member countries signing up, dealing a blow to media and software companies beset by unauthorized duplication of their works across the Internet.
"It's a bit disappointing," Francisco Mingorance, European policy director for the Business Software Alliance (BSA) trade group told Reuters on Monday. "Obviously, this will delay the process."
The deadline for implementing the European Union (news - web sites)'s Copyright Directive, a broad set of laws designed to better protect the distribution of film, music and software across the Internet and onto digital devices such as mobile phones, was Sunday night.
Just Greece and Denmark have adopted the directive into local law, officials said.
With hopes dashed of having a strong copyright law in place for the start of 2003, media and software companies complain that they are largely unprotected from digital piracy, an activity they see as the biggest threat to their future. The BSA, a global body that counts among its members Apple Computer, Microsoft Corp, and Intel Corp, estimates the European software industry loses three billion euros ($3.09 billion) annually due to unauthorized duplication of its products.
The music and film industries have been hit hard too, particularly by the growth of online file-sharing networks Kazaa and Grokster that enable consumers to copy and trade all manner of copyright-protected materials for free.
DASHED HOPES
The EU passed the directive in April. At the time it was seen as a big victory for copyright holders who wanted existing laws modernized to ensure they would be compensated for the digital distribution of their works.
The directive was seemingly bolstered by two treaties drafted earlier this year by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) which sought to extend similar copyright protection across 30 nations in Europe, North America and Asia.
The software, film and music industries have been lobbying lawmakers all year in each of the member states to move quickly to adopt the more aggressive copyright protections.