The members of the EU Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) have voted against forcing providers to monitor the internet connections of their customers.

However, the term 'lawful content' has sneaked itself into EU legal jingo, still giving lobbyists a foothold. Civil rights groups are calling for the term to be deleted.

Conservative members of the European People's Party also seem to have backpedalled. Tory MEP Malcom Harbour originally introduced amendments to the reform of telecommunications laws - the so-called Telecoms Package – which would have seen regulators forcing lawful applications down Europeans' throats.

The French model of graduated response included the demand that providers monitor traffic and send out warnings to their customers if they are deemed to be sharing or downloading illegal content over the internet. Graduated response has been rightfully kicked from the Telecoms Package. However, if the term 'lawful content' remains included, French internet users will have something to chew on in the future, such as how to remove Nicholas Sarkozy from office.

The film and music industry has been lobbying the EU for years to force the internet work the way they want it to. Both industries spend millions on lobbying each year. The real tragedy, however, is the large number of conservative members of parliament who just don't seem to have a clue what they're voting about.

One has to ask why a levy cannot be implemented for use of the net, similar to the one on new CD and DVD burners, thus putting an end to the whole issue. French civil rights group La Quadature du Net has both an analysis and a full overview of the amendments and voting procedures. X

Check out
Analysis
Overview