This is really good news and part of the verdict may also prove valuable in the fight for privacy rights and against chat control.
Both courts of the CJEU have shown again and again not to fear ruling against nations and EU institutions and by extension move the European project forward unlike the four political institutions (Commission, both Councils and Parliament). They also actually seem to know what they’re talking about.
In the fight against chat control I had partial faith in Parliament until Metsola started torturing the rules and manufactured an outcome last week. I do still have faith in the courts and I think, hope, ultimately that’s where this fight will be won.
I have zero faith as long the EPP are in control and will keep pushing and pushing until
big techthey get their way.The EPP has no integrity, that’s their biggest problem imo. They just move where it’s politically most convenient hence they’re now rubbing against the far-right. In the past they were more in the centre as that was were they could find majorities (and power) which made them less problematic. Under current circumstances I’d be glad if that’s where they ended up again for a few years, though I’d rather see them decimated.
But, yes, the infiltration of big tech in the EU and its power centres is extremely problematic as well and I don’t quite understand why we allow them that power (I mean, I do but…).
SD and Alde voted along willingly too, despite statements to the contrary. Rotten filthy liars one and all.
Yes true, but the EPP is far more worrying. They made up the majority of attendees voting in favour of chat Control, well orchestrated, they also pushed it through in a way that has never been used before with only a few days to make the vote knowing that many of the other members wouldn’t be available to vote. Metsola made a big speech about democracy and accusations flying about x and y, and declaring interests being important, Pushing that vote through was completely undemocratic.
There are plenty of examples of the underhanded tactics used by them, and they are by far and large the biggest party in the EU. All politicians do it, but we really don’t stand a chance if the biggest party is this corrupt this early on, siding with US big tech due to lobbying (aka bribing) on a level never before seen.
This ruling states that using a VPN to access content which is public domain in one jurisdiction but copyright protected in another is legal and not the responsibility of the VPN provider or the site providing the content.
But does it apply to activity by users on VPNs like torrenting of copyright protected material?
It has no bearing on the US Millennium Rights regime. I suspect anything torrented that you’ll be in trouble over is public domain nowhere.
But the VPN itself remains legal.
Iraq and Iran don’t usually extend copyright protection to foreign works, so that may be a loophole.
I give it 1 year until the title says VPNs are illegal.
It would fuck up most EU companies as both people working remotely, edge locations and site to site communications would be rendered insecure without VPNs.
I’m sure there’ll be a caveat for capitalist interests.
This seems pretty hard to enforce. “OI you there using an odd port and TLS. Do you have a Loicense?!”
I think there’s a reasonable chance that the European Council will push for it, Commission makes a proposal and that it will pas through Parliament and the Council of the EU. Probably not within a year but three or four maybe?
And then it will be taken to the courts. People and organisations will fight this and it’s likely we will win, especially with this verdict in our back pocket.
By that time, who knows what EU leadership and global politics will look like?
Lawful Neutral.
