<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Dear Friend,</span><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
Welcome to the Open Rights Group's weekly Parliamentary Policy Monitoring brief. This email is in beta, so please give us any information on what you would like to see in the brief, and what you would find useful. </div>
<div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Regards!</div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
N.B - this brief will cover the last couple of weeks. </div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<div><b>Official Meetings</b></div><div>1.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Discussed ‘CETA’ with the Intellectual Property Office. We asked about whether there are provisions similar to Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in the new proposed agreement. We also advocated a more transparent approach from the UK Government regarding what's happening and where the UK stands.</div>
<div>2.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>We took part in the first meeting of the Midata 'Transmission' working group at the Department for Business, Industry and Skills. The group is looking at how consumers' data can best be shared securely. We are advocating for the interests and consent of consumers to be placed at the forefront of the design of the Midata scheme. </div>
<div><br></div><div><b>Committees</b></div><div>31/10/2012 – Draft Communications Data Bill Joint Committee questioned Theresa May. The key questions included:</div><div>1)<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Were CSP’s consulted? Why haven’t intelligence agencies been called to give evidence?</div>
<div>2)<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Why is the bill so wide in scope even though the Home Office gave assurances that it will address a narrow set of issues?</div><div>3)<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Confirming whether the bill would not be introduced in the current Parliamentary Session.</div>
<div>Further meetings held on 08/11/12 and 13/11/12, and then 21/11/2012 (all private sessions). </div><div>Links - <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/Communications_Data_Bill" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki</a></div>
<div> <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/documents/joint-committees/communications-data/DCD%20Bill%2031-10-12%20subbed%20HVE%20Final%20transcript.pdf" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Transcript of meeting </a></div>
<div><br></div><div>Upcoming meeting of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 20/11/2012. This will be an evidence session into support for the creative industries and could cover issues such as copyright infringement. </div>
<div><br></div><div><b>Legislation</b></div><div><b>Government Bills</b></div><div>14/11/2012 – Enterprise & Regulatory Reform Bill Second Reading</div><div>Information of the reading, including a transcript, can be found on the <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/Enterprise_and_Regulatory_Reform_Bill" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki</a></div>
<div>The text of the reading can be found on the <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/121114-0001.htm#12111438000739" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Parliament website</a> </div>
<div>The bill has been submitted to a Grand Committee. </div><div>The Bill has provisions to enable the licensing of orphan works, enables extended collective licensing, and would create new backstop powers backstop powers to regulate collecting societies by statutory code, should they fail to adopt suitable voluntary codes.</div>
<div>With regard to the Midata proposals, the Government announced its intention to bring forward an amendment to the Enterprise & Regulatory Reform Bill to confer a power to make regulations to ensure that customers are (at their request) given access in portable electronic form to their transaction/consumption data. (See Column 1519 of the<a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/121114-0001.htm#12111438000739" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">second reading</a>)</div>
<div>The Government response to the Midata consultation will be published early next week, will be available <a href="http://www.bis.gov.uk/Consultations/category/closedwithresponse" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">here</a>. </div>
<div><b><br></b></div><div><b>Private Member’s Bills</b></div><div>09/11/2012 - Online Safety Bill Second Reading</div><div>Baroness Howe, who introduced the bill spoke of the dangers facing children on the internet, and suggested the bill would put more pressure of key internet actors to increase protective measures. </div>
<div><a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/Online_Safety_Bill" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>13/11/2012 – Suicide (Prevention) Bill First Reading</div><div>
The bill was presented by William McCrea. </div><div><a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121113/debtext/121113-0002.htm#12111384000002" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Transcript of the Frist Reading</a><br>
</div><div>The second reading of the bill is scheduled for January 2013. </div><div>Links - <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/Suicide_(Prevention)_Bill" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki</a></div>
<div> <a href="http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/suicideprevention.html" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Parliament UK - Suicide (Prevention) Bill website</a></div><div><br></div><div><b>International developments</b></div>
<div>The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) met in Baku, Azerbaijan on 6-9 November 2012. The theme of the seventh annual conference was ‘Internet Governance for Sustainable Human, Economic and Social Development’. Some of the conference covered issues such as copyright laws and online privacy.</div>
<div>Links – <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/IGF" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki</a></div><div> <a href="http://www.intgovforum.org/cms" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Internet Governance Forum (IGF)</a></div>
<div><br></div><div>In December 2012 the UN ITU will meet in Dubai for a conference. Critics of the organisations activities have suggested that this meeting could eventually afford governments the power to clamp down on internet access. This could have a dramatic effect. </div>
<div>Links - <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/ITU" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki</a></div><div> <a href="http://www.itu.int/en/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">UN ITU</a></div>
<div><br></div><div>The WIPO met in October (scheduled to meet again on 19/11/2012) to draft treaty that grants wider access to copyrighted materials for individuals with disabilities. </div><div>The position of the EU, and consequently UK, has been attacked over its reluctance to part from the Berne Convention and the 3-stage process. Key criticisms include can be found on the wiki, and also on KEI.</div>
<div>The British Copyright Council (BCC) published a short paper after the October meetings, detailed it’s stance on the issue. The paper can be found <a href="http://www.britishcopyright.org/assets/documents/2012/10/BCC_position_on_VIPs161012.pdf" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">here</a> </div>
<div>Links - <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/WIPO" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki - WIPO</a></div><div> <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/British_Copyright_Council" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki - BCC</a></div>
<div> <a href="http://keionline.org/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Knowledge Ecology International</a></div><div><br></div><div>Ministerial Talks are scheduled for the 20th of November regarding the Canada-EU Trade Agreement (CETA). The talks are between Canadian International Trade Minister Ed Fast, the Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, and European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht. The agreement itself includes issues over copyrights. Critics argue that the section on intellectual property could be identical to the clauses incorporated into the failed ACTA proposal. </div>
<div>Links - <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/CETA" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki - CETA</a></div><div> <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement_2011" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki - Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement</a></div>
<div><br></div><div><b>Internet Companies</b></div><div>Google has been in the news for a couple of reasons.</div><div>1.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Google have pledged to downgrade sites guilty of piracy. This will be followed by a meeting before Christmas between Google, the Government and ISP’s to discuss the issue of online privacy. More on this is available <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/nov/05/google-downgrade-piracy-sites-review" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">here</a>. </div>
<div>2.<span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Google released its <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/nov/13/google-transparency-report" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">2012 Transparency Report</a>. </div>
<div>Other links - <a href="http://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/Google" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">ORG Wiki - Google</a></div><div><br></div><div><b>ORG Contact Details</b></div><div>Communications Data Bill campaign - Javier Ruiz <a href="mailto:Javier@openrightsgroup.org" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Javier@openrightsgroup.org</a></div>
<div>Copyright & Government Consultations - Peter Bradwell <a href="mailto:peter@openrightsgroup.org" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">peter@openrightsgroup.org</a></div><div>Executive Director - Jim Killock <a href="mailto:jim@openrightsgroup.org" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">jim@openrightsgroup.org</a></div>
<div>Parliamentary monitoring - Ricky Shah - <a href="mailto:parliamentary.monitoring@openrightsgroup.org" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">parliamentary.monitoring@openrightsgroup.org</a></div></div>