MEPs calling for "strong sanctions" against "any intellectual property infringement"

[PILCH Hartmut <phm@a2e.de>]

An appeal launched by UK Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy links copyright
infringement to terrorism (a favorite topic of the UK Patent Office,
usually as groundless as the links between Iraq and Al Qaida) and calls
for "strong santions against any intellectual property infringment".

What is most frightening is that a lot of MEPs have signed this appeal.
It is being laid out for signature in the Parliament.

A possible legitimate motive for the appeal is the fear of a flood of
unlicensed goods on the European market coming from Eastern Europe.

Yet, instead of directly analysing this problem and proposing remedies,
McCarthy in her usual style limits herself to copy&pasting of UKPO
propaganda, designed to create an environment of fear in which irrational
decisions can hope to pass through.

More about McCarthy is found under

        http://swpat.ffii.org/players/amccarthy/

The word of a "New McCarthy Era of Intellectual Repression" is
unfortunately not far fetched.  McCarthy may not really be playing a
central role in it, but her methods may be symptomatic for the era.

From amccarthy@europarl.eu.int Thu Mar 27 12:14:04 2003
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 15:13:09 +0100
From: Arlene Mccarthy <amccarthy@europarl.eu.int>
To: <long list of MEPs>
Subject: Launch of Written Declaration: on the fight against piracy and
    counterfeiting in the enlarged EU

** High Priority **

Written declaration no. 5/2003

Dear Colleague

We are writing to ask for your support in signing our written declaration on
the fight against piracy and counterfeiting in the enlarged EU.

Piracy and counterfeiting have now reached alarming levels in the EU and
epidemic proportions in accession countries. Recent Commission statistics
showed an increase of 900 per cent in pirated goods. Not only is 
counterfeiting
and piracy leading to an average loss of 17 000 jobs per annum in the EU and
millions in lost tax revenue for governments, but counterfeit goods can pose
serious health and safety risks to consumers. It is organised crime networks
that are behind the pirate trade, using profits from piracy and counterfeiting
to finance drug trafficking and terrorism.

Currently there are two important pieces of legislation going through the
European Parliament, the enforcement directive and consultation on customs
action against counterfeit and pirated goods (repealing Regulation 
3295/94/EC).

We are calling on the Council and the Commission to;
ensure that current and forthcoming legislation provides strong, harmonised
civil sanctions for any intellectual property infringement and tough criminal
penalties for commercial scale counterfeiting;

to promote better cross-border cooperation between law enforcement authorities
in the Member States in addition to strengthening the role of Europol in
combating counterfeiting and piracy;

to raise consumer awareness that piracy and counterfeiting are not victimless
crimes.
We would really welcome your personal signature on this declaration to give a
strong signal to Council and Commission of Parliament's concerns at the
alarming levels of piracy and counterfeiting.

The written declaration is available to sign this afternoon outside of the
Hemicycle. The declaration needs at least 313 signatures.

Yours sincerely

Arlene McCarthy MEP, Janelly Fourtou MEP, Toine Manders MEP, Mercedes Echerer
MEP
and Marcelino Oreja Arburua MEP