EC sets up Observatory to fight piracy

The European Commission is establishing a body to analyse the scale of counterfeiting and piracy and to co-ordinate international action to fight the problem rather than changing the law on copyright.

The Observatory will bring together national representatives, private sector experts and consumers to collect data on and analyse the scope and scale of the problem.

The body will also share information, promote best practices and strategies, raise awareness and propose solutions to key problems.

The Commission said that counterfeiting and piracy are having a "dramatic and damaging" effect on economies in the European Union. The issue of software piracy in particular is one of the reasons software companies lobby hard against consumers having adequate protection under current consumer laws.

However, the Commission said there are already legal measures in place, such as the Enforcement Directive, that give companies protection against piracy. So rather than bring in new legislation, it wants to make the existing laws more effective.

To do this it is seeking stronger administrative co-operation between authorities at all levels.

It has asked each member state to nominate a co-ordinator to aid the process. Not only will this help companies protect their intellectual property rights, but offer consumers a reassurance that the products and services they buy are legitimate.

Though the Observatory’s creation has just been announced it had its first meeting in September, where it set up two sub-groups, one to look at issues surrounding data gathering and another to examine existing legal measures.