Digital Economy Bill Met with Negative Response
The Digital Economy Bill has met with a negative response from four of the leading internet businesses, namely Ebay, Facebook, Yahoo! and Google. The companies have also written a joint letter to Lord Mandelson to express their opposition of the bill.
The four companies that were initially supportive of the Digital Britain Report are very concerned about the implications that would arise out of the Digital Economy Bill. They feel that the bill might put a damper on the Government’s plans mentioned in the Digital Britain Report.
The companies while addressing the Secretary of State said that they eagerly supported the copyright laws but also held that internet should be a commodity for everyone to use. They collectively voiced their opinion on Clause 17 of the bill, which they fear would give the Secretary of State in future the freedom to modify the Copyright, Design and Patent Act according to his views.
In their letter, the companies explained that Clause 17 gives too much power to one person, and this power might be misused to bring in unwanted technical regulations or amplify observation of online data where it might seem necessary. This could lead to dissuasion of novelty and advancement, and would incur unnecessary expenditure. It could also upset the already maintained balance in the market change that Lord Carter had summarized in the Digital Britain Report.
Therefore, all four companies have advised Lord Mandelson to eliminate Clause 17 from the Digital Economy Bill as it threatens any future development and limits consumers from justifiably using new technology.
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