AGCOM, Italy’s independent and autonomous Communications Authority -with a putsch- is about to decide to controversially appoint itself – without any further Parliament approval needed – to take on the powers to order the removal of any online content in case of presumed copyright violation.
It can black out foreign sites and take down Italian ones within 48 hours.
No further court decision is required for these actions to take effect.
The copyright industry has so obtained, without any parliamentary decision, from Italy’s Communications watchdog, to give itself the power to set up administrative procedures to block access to websites suspected of copyright infringment .
The Regulation provides for the blocking of entire websites, domain names or IP addresses.
The legislation will passed definitively at November.
Before this The European Union has to say yes or not to the new rules.
A decision of European Commission will expected at the beginning of November.
Some provisions of AGCOM’s bill are “draconian”: according to the section 8, n 2, AGCOM will to order to the access providers the disclosure of private information about subscribers and give them to the right holders.
According to section 10, n 2, point d, of the new legislation “inciting, aiding and abetting” copyright infringment , even indirectly”, will permit the complete seizure of Website.
A Campaign has been started by an alliance of organizations including the consumer groups, lawyers, and business.
In recent days they have launched a site to coordinate opposition to the measures.
The Campaigners noted that with this measures several orders for blocking access to blogs, media outlets and portals, moves which risk transforming the ISPs into internet “censors
These measures are both ineffective and deeply inimical to free expression due to the high risks of over-blocking.
They arew also concerned that blocking powers would be entrusted to a regulator rather than the courts.
However, Italian ISPs, associations and companies demonstrate that AGCOM that it does not have the authority to take such action, but the Regulatory Body doesn’t listen the protesters.
Take action with http://sitononraggiungibile.info/?lang=en
Fulvio Sarzana
www.fulviosarzana.it
Studio Legale Roma Sarzana & Associati
