Forthcoming in International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law (IIC), 2015.

Private copying is one of the most contested areas of EU copyright law. This paper surveys that nebulous area and examines the issue of copies made from unlawful sources in light of the ECJ’s ACI Adam decision. After describing the legal background of copyright levies and the facts of the litigation, the paper scrutinizes the Advocate General’s Opinion and the Court’s decision. The latter is analyzed against the history of copyright levies, the ECJ’s extensive case-law on the private copying limitation and Member States’ regulation of unlawful sources. This paper further reflects on the decision’s implications for end-users, rights holders, collective management organizations and manufacturers/importers of levied goods. It concludes that, from a legal and economic standpoint, the decision not only fails to be properly justified, but its consequences will likely diverge from those anticipated by the Court. Most worrisome is the Court’s stance on the three-step test, which it views as a restrictive, rather than enabling, clause. In its interpretation of the test, the decision fails to strike the necessary balance between competing rights and interests. This is due to multiple factors: overreliance on the principle of strict interpretation; failure to consider the fundamental right of privacy; lack of justification of the normative and empirical elements of the test’s second condition; and a disregard for the remuneration element in connection with the test’s third condition. To the contrary, it is argued that a flexible construction of the three-step test is more suited to the Infosoc Directive’s balancing aims.

24.10.2014

1 October 2014

On 2-4 July 2014 Information Influx, the 25th anniversary conference of the Institute for Information Law (IViR) was held in Amsterdam. Integrated in the conference, on Friday, 4 July a panel entitled “Legalizing file-sharing: an idea whose time has come – or gone?” met.
The panel’s moderator was Professor Bernt Hugenholtz (University of Amsterdam, IViR) and the panelists were scholars with groundbreaking research on the topic for the past decade: Professor Neil Netanel (University of California, Los Angeles), Professor Alexander Peukert (University of Frankfurt), Dr. Philippe Aigrain (La Quadrature du Net), Professor Séverine Dusollier (SciencesPo./École de droit).
The panel was divided into four parts, which this report reflects. First, the moderator introduced the topic and the panelists. Second, IViR member Mr. Balázs Bodó offered a short presentation of an ongoing research project on the topic of debate. Third, each panelist commented on the topic from different perspectives. The panel discussion was then opened for comments from the audience and responses from the panel.

24.10.2014

LAPSI/Openlaws workshop, 4 September 2014.

The EC funded openlaws.eu project and the LAPSI thematic network project joined forces for a workshop on open legal data for Europe. About 25 participants from academia, government, business and civil society discussed whtat the drivers are for opening up legal data for re-use in different jurisdictions and what barriers (perceived or real) exist. The outcome of the discussion will feed into the on-going work in the LAPSI network on legal barriers to re-use, and in the vision for Big Open Legal Data that will be developed as part of Openlaws.eu.

16.10.2014

Auteursrechtdebat 14 oktober 2014, IEF 14277.

16.10.2014

Met medewerking van Nico van Eijk.

In 2012 hebben SEO Economisch Onderzoek en het Instituut voor Informatierecht (IViR) een methodiek ontwikkeld om uit de uitkomst van de multibandveiling een prijs te berekenen voor tijdelijke verlenging van de vergunningen in de 900 en 1800 MHz-band. In die multibandveiling is onder andere 2×10 MHz spectrum geveild in de 2,1 GHz-band. Het ministerie van Economische Zaken heeft het IViR gevraagd in hoeverre de eerder ontwikkelde methodiek, en daarmee samenhangend de informatie over geboden prijzen toen, de basis kunnen vormen voor een verlengingsprijs in geval de 2,1 GHz-vergunningen tijdelijk worden verlengd.  Deze notitie geeft antwoord op die vraag.

Zie ook: http://www.internetconsultatie.nl/ontwerpbesluit_verlengbaarheid_2100mhz_vergunningen

14.10.2014

Klacht over een column in NJB van een Advocaat-Generaal bij de Hoge Raad, redacteur van NJB, over mensenrechtschendingen in Rusland in verband met de onteigening van het olieconcern Yukos. Deze column zou de onafhankelijkheid van de rechterlijke macht schaden, omdat over deze onteigeningen ten tijde van de column procedures in Nederland liepen. De klacht op grond van artikel 13a RO wordt afgewezen, omdat dit een te vergaande beperking van de vrijheid van meningsuiting van een lid van de rechterlijke macht zou zijn.

14.10.2014

Begin 2014 was de bibliotheek prominent in het nieuws. Zo verdween een groot aantal bibliotheekvestigingen en werd een e-booksplatform gelanceerd. Ook ging een wetsvoorstel met plannen voor een landelijke digitale bibliotheek naar de Tweede Kamer. Het auteursrecht is buiten het voorstel gehouden, terwijl digitale bibliotheekactiviteiten wel degelijk raken aan het auteursrecht. Wat zijn de auteursrechtelijke implicaties van de nieuwe Bibliotheekwet?

10.10.2014

Column, 30 september 2014.

10.10.2014

Also published in: ACM Queue - Security, 2014-8, vol. 12.

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) has evolved into the de facto standard for secure Web browsing. However, widely reported security incidents—such as DigiNotar's breach, Apple's #gotofail, and OpenSSL's Heartbleed—have exposed systemic security vulnerabilities of HTTPS to a global audience. The Edward Snowden revelations—notably around operation BULLRUN, MUSCULAR, and the lesser-known FLYING PIG program to query certificate metadata on a dragnet scale—have driven the point home that HTTPS is both a major target of government hacking and eavesdropping, as well as an effective measure against dragnet content surveillance when Internet traffic traverses global networks. HTTPS, in short, is an absolutely critical but fundamentally flawed cybersecurity technology.

To evaluate both legal and technological solutions to augment the security of HTTPS, our article argues that an understanding of the economic incentives of the stakeholders in the HTTPS ecosystem, most notably the CAs, is essential. We outlines the systemic vulnerabilities of HTTPS, maps the thriving market for certificates, and analyzes the suggested regulatory and technological solutions on both sides of the Atlantic. The findings show existing yet surprising market patterns and perverse incentives: not unlike the financial sector, the HTTPS market is full of information asymmetries and negative externalities, as a handful of CAs dominate the market and have become "too big to fail." Unfortunately, proposed E.U. legislation will reinforce systemic vulnerabilities, and the proposed technological solutions that mostly originate in the U.S. are far from being adopted at scale. The systemic vulnerabilities in this crucial technology are likely to persist for years to come.

10.10.2014

Interview, 11  augustus 2014.

10.10.2014

Inaugural lecture, 19 September 2014.

In the digital media environment user attention is scarce and competition for ‘eyeballs’ is fierce. Profiling and targeting users with customized news and advertisements is widely seen as a solution, and part of a larger trend to invest in what the New York Times has called ‘smart new strategies for growing our audience’. The shift from public information intermediary to personal information service creates new dynamics but also new imbalances in the relationship between the media and their users. In my inaugural speech I will state that to restore the balance, the media and regulators in Brussels and The Hague need to develop a vision of how to deal with issues such as media user privacy, editorial integrity and more generally ‘fair algorithmic media practices’."

10.10.2014

Het jurisprudentieonderzoek dat ten grondslag ligt aan dit artikel is hier te downloaden.

De proceskostenveroordeling in IE-zaken veroorzaakt in de praktijk de nodige onrust, onzekerheid en frustratie. De rechterlijke macht heeft weliswaar indicatietarieven voor IE-zaken opgesteld, maar in de praktijk leggen rechters deze tarieven soms naast zich neer, zonder die beslissing altijd met duidelijke redenen te omkleden. Dit artikel beoogt meer inzicht te geven in de toepassing van de indicatietarieven en het proceskostenrisico in IE-zaken. Daartoe wordt empirisch onderzocht wanneer en op welke manier de indicatietarieven door rechters worden toegepast en om welke redenen deze tarieven in individuele gevallen juist niet worden nagevolgd.

10.10.2014

This paper presents a methodology for setting fees for the renewal or extension of spectrum licences, by using the outcome of an auction for comparable licences but with a different licence period. The methodology is a combination of market and cash flow valuation and consists of two main steps. First, prices for spectrum corresponding to that of the licences to be extended are derived from the auction outcome. Second, the relative value addition of the extension period for the new licensee, compared to the value of the licences auctioned, is derived by using a model for the development of EBITDA for an operator over time. A combination of these two is used to calculate fees that match the opportunity costs of extension. Thus, optimum alignment is achieved with the policy objective of using licence fees only to promote efficient use of spectrum, while avoiding state aid at the same time.

03.10.2014

Presentation at the 9th Annual Conference of the EPIP Association, Brussels, 4 September 2014.

03.10.2014

See details of the book here.

By virtue of their core philosophy, mandate and typical status in most countries, public service broadcasters (PSBs) are ideally suited to act as vectors for the promotion of cultural diversity. They are equally well-suited to provide shared forums in which a range of different cultures can interact, be explored and, indeed, contested. Notwithstanding the difficulties involved in defining the notion of cultural diversity, various promotional strategies may viably be employed by PSBs. Such strategies include the safeguarding of access for discrete cultural groups to editorial, production and other structures and processes. They could also include measures to ensure that programming and other related services targeting culturally diverse audiences correspond to the audiences’ actual needs and preferences – in qualitative and quantitative terms. In doing so, relevant approaches should seek to balance the needs and preferences of discrete societal groups against the needs and preferences of a more complex societal whole.   
The emergence of new technological and communicative possibilities and paradigms has prompted conceptual and terminological shifts within the European audio-visual sector. PSBs are nowadays expected to operate across an array of technological platforms in order to perpetuate their traditional position of prominence in a rapidly changing and already highly diversified mediascape. This is evidenced by an increasing tendency to frame relevant regulatory discussions in terms of public service media (as opposed to broadcasting in the traditional sense of the word), value(s) and governance.
The existing European regulatory framework for public service broadcasting/media is extensive and spans legal and policy instruments emanating primarily from the European Union and the Council of Europe, but also including standard-setting measures from other intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and, to a lesser extent, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Even within the European Union and the Council of Europe, differences of focus and emphasis may readily be detected across the most salient instruments. They engage with the issues highlighted in the preceding paragraphs to varying extents.
The principal aim of this chapter is to present a panorama of regulatory instruments applicable at the European level and to assess their overall coherence. The significance of selected examples of divergence in the broader regulatory approach will be explained and evaluated accordingly.

02.10.2014

Inaugurele rede 23 mei 2014, forthcoming Amsterdam University Press 2014.
('The lure of open data', inaugural lecture).

26.09.2014

05.09.2014

Afpersen van gegevens, alleen voor gegevens waarbij het oogmerk bestond er voordeel mee te behalen. Afgrenzing van het begrip 'voordeel'.

28.08.2014

Interview 23 augustus 2014.

28.08.2014

26.08.2014

First published online August 13, 2014.

In recent years, the national courts of the EU Member States, in an attempt to stem the flow of rampant online copyright infringement, have increasingly turned to the issuance of blocking injunctions against the intermediaries whose websites and networks are used by third parties to commit infringements. This article examines the legal framework in place at the EU level with regard to the legality of such injunctive orders, making a distinction between filtering measures, used to detect copyright infringements, and blocking measures, used to put an end to them. On the basis of that analysis, a detailed examination will be made of the latest CJEU ruling to apply this framework, Case C-314/12, UPC Telekabel Wien GmbH v Constantin Film Verleih GmbH on the lawfullness of open-ended blocking injunctions against internet access providers.

19.08.2014

Kwartaalsignaal 131.

19.08.2014

Kwartaalsignaal 130.

19.08.2014

This paper sets out to provide a concise overview of key developments in relation to Internet-based services that may have an impact on public policies and ultimately on the state itself. It is intended to support the Netherlands Council for Societal Development (Raad voor Maatschappelijke Ontwikkeling, RMO) in preparing its advisory report to the Dutch government on how to deal with the impact of the Internet on society and the state.

19.08.2014

Blokkering van website door Turkse overheid strijdig met artikel 10 EVRM, ook als de hoster van de site buiten Turkije is gevestigd.

14.08.2014

Poster niet toegestaan, omdat deze verwees naar een website van een religieuze beweging met mogelijk (voor minderjarigen) zedenkwetsend materiaal. Minderheid acht dit een ongeoorloofde toegangsbelemmering van internet, meerderheid (met een stem verschil) niet.

14.08.2014

25.07.2014

Zie ook:

- Reactie van F.W. Grosheide, Over wat (on)juist is, valt te twisten, AMI, 2014-2, p. 53-54;
- Naschrift van S.J. van Gompel, Over vorm en inhoud gesproken, AMI, 2014-2, p. 55-56.

25.07.2014

Also published in Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice, 2014-8, p. 644-649.

This article is about the pharma patent litigation sparked by Lundbeck's blockbuster drug for 'escitalopram', a drug used for treating depression and generalized anxiety disorder. The key theme is about whether patents can also protect novel substances that can be fully envisaged but cannot yet be made. The decision of the Supreme Court is compared with earlier decisions in Germany and the United Kingdom. The author criticizes the lack of explanation provided by the Supreme Court.

18.07.2014

21 juni 2014.

Artikel in het 'FD' over de huidige staat van 'innovatierecht' en intellectuele eigendomsrecht in het hoger onderwijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Hoewel er veel aandacht is voor 'innovatie', is er onvoldoende aandacht voor de juridische aspecten om die innovatie te reguleren, stimuleren en beschermen. Het artikel betoogt dat 'innovatierecht' en intellectuele eigendomsrecht achterlopen en beter moeten doen. Het artikel noemt drie uitdagingen waarvoor 'innovatierecht' en intellectuele eigendomsrecht zich vandaag gesteld zien: 1. Een gebrek aan onderzoeksubsidies voor juridisch onderzoek naar het reguleren van innovatie. 2. Rechtsonzekerheid voor gebruikers en industrie, zoals in het veld van auteursrecht t.a.v. het blokkeren van websites en in het octrooirecht inzake Aanvullende Beschermingscertificaten (ABC's). 3. Te weinig aandacht voor de juridische aspecten inzake innovatie in het hoger onderwijs.

18.07.2014

De Hoge Raad heeft de vraag of een overdracht bij voorbaat aan NORMA zou hebben geprevaleerd boven de in art. 45d Aw (in verbinding met art. 4 WNR) bedoelde overdracht van exploitatierechten aan de producent in het midden gelaten. Doorbreekt de laatste overdracht de eerste of gaat de eerste boven de tweede op grond van het klassieke nemo plus-beginsel?

11.07.2014

Working paper, accepted and presented at the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium, July 2014, Amsterdam.

See also:
Legal loopholes could allow wider NSA surveillance, researchers say, CBS news, 30 June 2014.
“Loopholes for Circumventing the Constitution”, the NSA Statement, and Our Response, Freedom to Tinker, 11 July 2014.

In this multi-disciplinary paper, we reveal interdependent legal and technical loopholes that intelligence agencies of the U.S. government could use to circumvent constitutional and statutory safeguards for U.S. persons. We outline known and new circumvention techniques that can leave the Internet traffic of Americans as vulnerable to surveillance, and as unprotected by U.S. law, as the Internet traffic of foreigners.

08.07.2014

26.06.2014

Opinie

26.06.2014

In 2013 downloadde 25,8% van de Nederlanders tussen 12 en 65 jaar wel eens een film uit illegale bron en in totaal kwam ongeveer 12% van de bekeken films uit illegale bron. Het percentage Nederlanders dat films downloadt uit illegale bron neemt toe, het sterkst binnen de groep tussen 16 en 24 jaar. Gemiddeld over een representatieve steekproef leiden elke honderd downloads uit illegale bron per saldo tot 32 minder films die uit legale bron worden gezien: 11 minder op DVD of Blu-ray, 11 minder op televisie, en 10 minder als betaalde download of via video on demand. Een negatief (of positief) saldo-effect op bioscoopbezoek is niet gevonden.

17.06.2014

20 January 2014.

03.06.2014

23.05.2014

Rondetafelgesprek Tweede Kamer, 21 mei 2014.

Zie ook:

22.05.2014

Nederland doet mee in het Open Government Partnership, een club landen die de ambitie delen om transparantie in de publieke sector te vergroten. Het recente eerste actieplan benadrukt vooral de noodzaak om meer informatie actief openbaar te maken, en dat te doen op een manier die data herbruikbaar maakt. Daar vroeg de Tweede Kamer eind 2012 al om toen het de motie-Voortman aannam. Wat draagt het wetsvoorstel open overheid daaraan bij?

20.05.2014

20 mei 2014.

20.05.2014

Opinie, 17 mei 2014.

20.05.2014

20.05.2014

Blogpost on LSE Media Policy Project, published on 30 April 2014.

08.05.2014

De positie van de consument in het telecommunicatierecht is permanent in beweging. Het telecommunicatierecht vervult daarbij regelmatig een gidsfunctie; dat is onder meer zichtbaar bij de regulering van mobiele telefonie en internet. In deze bijdrage wordt een schets gegeven van een aantal van de belangrijkste ontwikkelingen die zich de laatste jaren hebben voorgedaan met betrekking tot de positie van de consument binnen het telecommunicatierecht. Daarbij zijn de aanpassingen van het Europese telecommunicatiekader van 2009 en de implementatie ervan in de Nederlandse Telecommunicatiewet (Tw) leidend. Aan de orde komen eerst aspecten die direct te maken hebben met de contractuele relaties tussen aanbieders en consumenten: welke adressanten kent de regulering, wat zijn randvoorwaarden in de contractuele sfeer en hoe zit het met geschilbeslechting? Vervolgens wordt nog stilgestaan bij een drietal meer specifieke onderwerpen die de positie van consumenten raken, namelijk cookies, netneutraliteit en de positionering van bepaalde informatiediensten.

06.05.2014

This article discusses the legal status of links, in connection with the pending cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union in Svensson, C More and BestWater. Hyperlinks, deep links, framed links and embedded links are discussed. It focuses on the Opinion of the European Copyright Society on the Svensson case. The ALAI Opinion is also briefly discussed. This article proposes nine angles as part of the multi-factor test to determine whether linking is actionable under European copyright law. The author concludes that properly balancing those nine factors can ensure that copyright and linking can tango, in step with existing policy goals and case-law, allowing linking in some situations, while requiring separate authorization in others. This article was also presented at the 22nd Fordham IP Conference in New York on 25 April 2014.

06.05.2014

Report prepared by the T.M.C. Asser Instituut (Asser International Sport Law Centre) and the Institute for Information Law of the University of Amsterdam, for the European Commission, DG Education and Culture.

See also the executive summary.

The main objectives of the study were to map the legal framework applicable to the origin and ownership of rights to sports events (sports organizers' rights) in the 28 EU Member States; to analyze the nature and scope of sports organizers' rights with regard to licensing practices in the field of the media; and to examine the possibility of establishing licensing practices beyond the media field, notably in the area of gambling and betting. Following this, the study had to formulate recommendations on the opportunity of EU action to address any problems that may be identified in the abovementioned areas of analysis.

06.05.2014

Working paper

24.04.2014

15.04.2014

Report from the Expert Group.

Text and data mining (TDM) is an important technique for analysing and extracting new insights and knowledge from the exponentially increasing store of digital data ('Big Data'). It is important to understand the extent to which the EU's current legal framework encourages or obstructs this new form of research and to assess the scale of the economic issues at stake.

08.04.2014