The European Union is in the process of looking at new regulations on copyright laws that could benefit citizens and businesses. One of the points of the new regulations that will be discussed is the plan to decriminalize file sharing for personal use.
What does this mean? Citizens of European Union member states will be able to download copyrighted files, as long as it is for home use only and not for profit (non-commercial).
These regulations have already been adopted in many countries across Europe, but this time there is a chance that they will soon be extended to the entire European Union.
It seems that members of the European Parliament are starting to get serious about the idea.
Next Tuesday there will be another event that will highlight the lack of progress on this issue and emphasize the need for change.
“Infosoc has created a horrible licensing nightmare that no one is able to penetrate. Those who make use of the culture – filesharers, DJs, libraries and schools – live in a constant state of uncertainty. It’s really hard to know what the freedoms and rights of people who use this culture are. What is allowed and what is not allowed? When is someone at risk of being sued? The law really needs to make that more specific,” said Amelia Andersdotter, a member of the European Parliament, in an interview with TorrentFreak.
Naturally, file sharing is just one of the items on the list of upcoming changes, and the overall reforms are broader. As it becomes clear, there are quite serious issues that must be examined at a political level without the involvement of industry lobbyists. We do not know how feasible this is.
