Wow, NOT a File Sharing Consultation..

.. and not three strikes!

Instead the EU with remarkable common sense has issued a Communication suggesting some non legislative ways to (additionally) crack down on filesharing and counterfeit sales on the Internet.

"The Commission aims to ensure a highly efficient, proportionate and predictable system of enforcement of intellectual property rights, both within and outside the internal market. The current legal framework provides the tools to enforce intellectual property rights in a fair, effective and proportionate way.

Complementing legislation, the actions in this Communication aim to:

• support enforcement through a new EU Observatory on counterfeiting and piracy which will bring together national representatives, private sector experts and consumers to work to collect data on and analyse the scope and scale of the problem, share information, promote best practices and strategies, raise awareness and propose solutions to key problems;

• foster administrative cooperation across Europe by developing coordination to ensure that more effective exchanges of information and mutual assistance can take place. As a result, Member States are called to designate National Coordinators. An electronic network for information sharing will also need to be available .

• build coalitions between stakeholders to overcome conflicts and disputes, by developing collaborative voluntary arrangements that focus on concrete problems, such as the sale of counterfeit goods over the internet, and are capable to adapt quickly to changing markets and technology. Such agreements can also be more easily extended beyond the EU and become the foundation for best practice at global level.

The Communication results from the Commission's IPR Strategy for Europe adopted last year and builds upon the recent Council Resolution on a comprehensive European anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy plan."

Naturally, content industry unimpressed:-)

(via Michael Geist)

EDIT: Meanwhile however one asks of course, but what of the Telecoms Package and when is the conciliation process taking place, after the failure of the second reading procedure?

Helpfully , the new EDRI-gram tells us :

"Preparations are being made in the EU institutions for the expected third
reading of the Telecom Package. The timescale for the remainder of the
legislative process will be determined by the official communication of the
Council Common Positions to the Parliament. In theory, this can happen as
late as mid-October, meaning that the final agreement could happen as late
as the end of November or early December.

..The Member States can be expected to push for as much of the Common
Position as possible to be retained and to push again for the
"compromise" that was agreed with the Parliament negotiators on
Amendment 138 in the first reading (but not adopted). "

Watch this space!