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Parliamentary questions
26 January 2012
E-000599/2012
Question for written answer
to the Commission
Rule 117
Lambert van Nistelrooij (PPE) and Wim van de Camp (PPE)

 Subject: Open Internet is under threat from US SOPA law
 Answer(s) 

The SOPA bill, which aims to improve protection for online copyright owners, is currently being considered in the USA. The displaying, for example through a search engine such as Google or a social network such as Facebook, of material protected by an American copyright would be punishable under this law. This would make the functioning of search engines, social networks and other innovative Internet-based services impossible and hinder the Internet’s economic potential. It would also seriously damage the Internet as an innovative ecosystem. In the Netherlands, for example, 25 % of all new jobs are generated in the e-commerce sector. The following questions are put in the light of this:

1. Is the Commission aware of the American SOPA bill?
2. Does the Commission agree with us that such measures are disproportionate and thus undesirable, and can the Commission rule out similar plans or their development for application in Europe?
3. Does the Commission agree with us that new European legislation in this area must strike a balance between the interests of copyright owners and the public interest in an open Internet?
4. When will the Commission present its own proposals on this issue?

Original language of question: NLOJ C 66 E, 07/03/2013
Last updated: 2 February 2012Legal notice