Amendments to Irish Copyright Law

I don't know what the community's stance is on politics and I know this is forum mainly reserved for Drupal specific matters, but this issue is central to your human rights... and could be read as yet another step to closing down open source communities. I encourage you to read on and take action... and distribute as widely as possible.

In response to the announcement of statutory amendments to Irish
Copyright law that threaten Irish peoples privacy online we have
penned this letter which we encourage you to share, copy, sign and
send to your TD and electoral Candidates.

We recommend using http://contact.ie/contact @contact_ie

Saor Cultur Eire (Free Culture Ireland) http://twitter.com/saorcultureire

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Dear Sir/Madam

On the 23rd of February two days before the General Election, I am
deeply frustrated to read that the outgoing Fianna Fáil Government is
rushing through last minute statutory amendments to Irish Copyright
law to give judges the power to grant injunctions against ISPs in
relation to copyright infringement cases without any debate or
discussion in the Dáil or the Seanad and without any public
consultation on the issue.

Source: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/20561-copyright-act-amendment

This appears as nothing more than a back room deal made in the
interests of the entertainment industry lobbyists with an absolute
disregard for the personal privacy of Irish people.

The issues are admittedly complex. The entertainment industry will
tell you that they are suffering incredible losses due to Internet
piracy but it must be acknowledged that this is in part due to their
own failure to adapt and service the online market. Instead they have
focused on protectionist efforts sueing Internet users and ISP's, and
lobbying governments across the globe to introduce Internet monitoring
and the '3-strikes' rule.

The imposition of a general monitoring and filtering of people's
activities online is analogous to wiretapping. It is a deep
infringement on people's privacy and a threat to freedom of
expression.

This is dangerous territory. Particularly in times like these when we
can see clearly how governments in the Middle East and North Africa
have abused this capacity to monitor and censor Internet users
activities. The right to freedom of expression and the right of access
to knowledge and to communicate are essential to a 21st Century
democracy.

I call on the incoming Government to show the Irish people that it
will no longer condone business conducted in this way by immediately
overturning this amendment in favour of copyright reform which will
include real public consultation and debate.

I welcome Eamon Ryan's challenge to Mary Hanafin on this today,
whereby he urged her not to sign this amendment into law.

Source: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/20582-dont-push-through-illegal

The Digital Technology sector employs 73,000 Irish people and is key
to the country's economic recovery it would be unwise to rush through
any legislation of this sort without their involvement.

Yet again the world is watching Ireland.

Source: Boing Boing
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/23/irish-government-sne.html /
Electronic Frontier Foundation -
https://twitter.com//EFF/status/40576226699657216