Dutch parliament opposes criminalization of violations of intellectual property

Pa ElGrande

The Dutch parliament does not want the EU commission to make violations of intellectual property a crime in a directive. Last Friday, both chambers of the Dutch parliament agreed that the European Community has not "had any mandate bestowed upon it with which to attain the goals of the planned legislative action." This statement came after the representatives briefly met to discuss the highly controversial proposal from Brussels. But the only item on the agenda at that meeting was to see whether the principles of "subsidiarity and proportionality" required for the adoption of a directive were respected in a directive for "the prosecution of violations of intellectual property into the law."

The new proposal for a directive thus seems to be skating on thin ice. The EU commission plans to obligate member states to prosecute any intentional violation of intellectual property if the violation was committed for commercial purposes. Not only copyright, but also patents, trademarks, utility models, and the Semiconductor Protection Act are to be enforced by penal law. The draft from Brussels would give police far-reaching authority to search houses and seize evidence. Furthermore, industries threatened by illegal copies and forgeries are to be allowed to create joint investigative teams along with criminal prosecutors. If suspects are convicted, they would then face fines ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 euros or up to four years of confinement.

Dutch parliament opposes criminalization of violations of intellectual property across the EU
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/74989

Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights
http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/enforcement-intellectual-property-rights/article-117513

Are we just going to rubber stamp this without any debate.