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Goodlatte Swaps Views With Europeans
by William New
As high-tech concerns and collaborations between the United States and Europe rise, members of Congress are becoming increasingly interested in direct informational exchanges with their parliamentary counterparts and other key officials in Europe.
To that end, a contingent of House members visited Brussels, Belgium; Moscow; Berlin; and Prague, Czech Republic, during the February congressional recess. The delegation included Republicans Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, Dana Rohrabacher of California, Lamar Smith of Texas and James Walsh of New York, and Democrats Rick Boucher of Virginia, Martin Sabo of Minnesota and John LaFalce of New York.
On the visit, Goodlatte and others raised key issues of concern to U.S. businesses and consumers while answering questions about developments in the United States. Goodlatte said in a Thursday briefing that on the international front, issues relating to the Internet probably arise more than any other besides national security. And the list keeps getting longer every time he visits, he said.
There is a gulf between the European and U.S. approaches to the Internet, Goodlatte said. For the Europeans, he said the approach is "regulate first, ask questions later." And in Russia, he added, "it's not so much, 'How can we set free our economy?' but 'How we can control it?'" he said.
Yet in Moscow, Goodlatte was surprised by the widespread presence of American capitalism, such as video billboards in Red Square and a Calvin Klein ad directly opposite from Stalin's grave. "They've got one foot in an old army boot stuck in the mud, and the other in a Nike running shoe ready to take off," he said of Russia.
After winning battles at home to keep the Internet free of encumbrances -- from government control of encryption, for instance -- Goodlatte said companies like Oracle and Microsoft are facing the same issues again in Russia.
Another problem in Russia is poor intellectual property protection, he said. The problem seems to be one of corruption, he said, as the government ignores reported violations. He said the Russian ministry was told that evidence of better intellectual property protection would be a consideration for joining the World Trade Organization, which Russia is seeking to do. Goodlatte said he hopes the Bush administration will make the issue a bargaining chip if it seeks a repeal of the requirement for an annual vote on normal trade relations with Russia.
In Moscow, Goodlatte met with German Gref, minister of economic development and trade; Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the committee for foreign affairs of the federation council; and Leonid Reyman, minister of communications and information.
In Brussels, home of the European Union, Goodlatte met with Erkki Liikanen, European commissioner for information society and enterprise; Pat Cox, European Parliament president; and a host of parliament members, including Manuel Medina Ortega, Astrid Thors, James Elles, Elly Plooij and Erika Mann. The officials discussed issues such as privacy, the value-added tax that Europe is preparing to impose on electronic transactions, e-signatures, cyber security, and implementation of Europe's e-commerce directive, Goodlatte said.
In Berlin, Goodlatte met with Brigitte Zypries, undersecretary for Internet security at the interior ministry; Michael Hange, vice president of federal office of IT security; Martin Cronenberg, assistant secretary for information society at the economics ministry; and Martina Krogmann, Internet spokeswoman for the Christian Democratic Union in the Bundestag. They talked about broadband deployment, cyber security and encryption, privacy and e-signatures.
In Prague, Goodlatte visited Michael Zantovsky, chairman of the committee on foreign affairs, defense and security; and Weston Stacey, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce-Czech Republic. They discussed ways to encourage broadband deployment and Internet use, as well as the Czech Republic's accession to the European Union.
Europe Examines Digital-Rights Management
The European Commission has released a discussion paper on digital-rights management with the hope of generating successful systems for such management. Digital-rights management involves technological measures aimed at controlling copyright material so that rights to it can be licensed, reported and paid for in today's networked environment.
The European Union has adopted a copyright directive that must be implemented by its member states by December. But it does not definitively address the issue of systems for managing digital rights in Europe.
The discussion paper identified shortcomings or perceived shortcomings in existing systems, including: the vulnerability of encryption systems; difficulty in use, which can reduce demand for digital content; strong limits on content, such as allowing e-book readers to read their books only once; and invasion of personal privacy.
But on the plus side, acceptance of the systems could lead to a lower risk of illegal copying, more ways to compensate the owners of copyrights for the risk of illegal copying, the use of new business models, and greater compatibility and interoperability of systems.
In a speech at a Feb. 28 workshop on European digital-rights management, Commissioner Liikanen urged stakeholders to take the lead on building consensus for the implementation and acceptance of interoperable systems for managing digital rights.
China Issues Online Media Guidelines
The government of China has issued new guidelines for limits on the nation's media, including controls on what kind of news can be presented over the Internet, reports the Straits Times. The guidelines, issued in a report by the Central Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party, attempt to control the selection and sensational presentation of online news.
They also ban reports seen as threatening to the stability of the country. Limits may be placed on news about Taiwan, separatist movements in Xinjiang and Tibet, and religious movements such as Falun Gong. One reason for the tightening may be the transfer of government power due to occur this fall at the party congress.
India Considers Limits On Cyber Cafes
India also may be in the mood for limits on Internet use. In that nation's case, Wired reports that a special committee created by a state high court is pushing the court to require cyber-café owners to police the accessing of "unsuitable Internet material" by minors. The decision would apply to cafés in the state of Maharashtra.
In other Indian news, the government plans to hike its defense budget by 14 percent, Reuters reports. Much of the budget goes to traditional items, but India plans to invest a significant portion of the increase in modernizing its military with such equipment as surveillance systems.
Ireland's Eye On Gifted Scientists
The Science Foundation Ireland has approved a new awards system aimed at attracting top researchers and supporting private-sector/university partnerships. Awards will be given to world-class researchers who move to Ireland or who are based there.
Grants will be for up to $4.35 million per year to help link collaborative, internationally competitive research clusters with industry, and up to $870,000 per year for as many as five years in support of research programs between Irish and foreign scientists within Ireland. Smaller grants also will be available.
And in other international news, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will hold its world congress in Denver on May 6-8, drawing as many as 800 senior business executives and government officials. The focus of the conference will be on economic growth and extending the global economy's benefits to more people. Session topics will include trade, technologies of the future, e-business, intellectual property regulation and security.
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