Reject IP Enforcement Directive

A coalition of civil liberties and consumer groups opposes a new proposed directive for stricter punishment for copyright and patent infringement:

ipjustice.org/digital-rights/ipj-white-paper-acta-2008

The FSF also opposes this directive, but we did not sign that statement because it accepts too much of what ought to be opposed. EU law is already too restrictive, and simply to prevent further changes is not enough. It is wrong to stop people from sharing music and other published works, and only draconian laws could possibly do the job, so it's no surprise to see they are being proposed. But opposing this directive without criticizing its unjust motivation is insufficient. Even using the term “intellectual property” is a point of weakness, because this is a propaganda term for those who aim to restrict the public.