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Anti-DRM Proposals Torn to Shreds in Vote on Reda Report

Submitted by jtadeusz on 16 June, 2015 - 12:10
in

Paris, June 16, 2015. Press release.

Today the legal affairs (JURI) Committee of the European Parliament destroyed most of the measures on DRMs in Reda Report on Copyright by way of amendments before adopting it by a large majority. Key paragraphs have been wiped out.

Vote on the Reda Report: Let's Fix Copyright!

Submitted by jtadeusz on 12 June, 2015 - 16:48
in

On Tuesday, June 16, 2015 the legal affairs (JURI) committee of the European Parliament will vote on the amendments on the Reda report, which tackles the
adaptation of the copyright directive. This report is an important first step toward re balancing European regulations on copyright, especially regarding DRMs and interoperability.

Postponment of the Vote on the TTIP Report: towards ACTA 2.0 ?

Submitted by jtadeusz on 10 June, 2015 - 15:54
in

The debate and the vote on the report on TAFTA/TTIP1 scheduled for June 10, 2015 have finally been finally postponed sine die by the European Parliament presidency.

  • 1. For more information on TAFTA/TTIP, and the threats of those agreements, you can read the dedicated page on April's website (in French).

The European Parliament Must Reject ISDS in TTIP

Submitted by jtadeusz on 9 June, 2015 - 16:39
in

Update (Tuesday June 9, 2015, 18:30) : According to European Parliament Press Service "scheduled vote for tomorrow has been postponed due to many amendments & requests for split or separate votes (according to Rule 175)".

TiSA: the Trade Agreement That Would Prohibit Free Software Mandates

Submitted by jtadeusz on 3 June, 2015 - 15:05
in

On May 27, 2015 a a new leak of TiSA (Trade in Services Agreement) was published. TiSA is an international agreement currently negotiated behind closed doors by 50 countries, including the EU and the US. In this version, an article explicitly prevents a country to give priority to Free Software. April denounces this text and asks European governments to reject those dangerous and opaque negotiations.

French State IT Looks to Take Example from Free Software

Submitted by fcouchet on 3 June, 2015 - 10:48
in

Paris, May 2nd, 2015. For immediate release.

Jacques Marzin, Director of DISIC (the French interministerial directorate for information systems and communication), wishes to strengthen and extend the public services' strategy with respect to Free Software. April welcomes this and encourages the government to give the DISIC the means necessary to implement this strategy.

INTA Committee in the European Parliament Backs ISDS in TTIP

Submitted by jtadeusz on 28 May, 2015 - 12:48
in

On May 28, 2015, the International Trade (INTA) committee of the European Parliament voted a report in favor of a slightly amended Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)1.

A DRM-Locked E-Book Cannot Be Compared to a Printed Book (video)

Submitted by fcouchet on 6 May, 2015 - 16:39
in

As part of the International Day against DRM (“digital handcuffs”), on May 6th, 2015, April is publishing a video on the issue of e-books and DRM.

This day of protest is an opportunity to remember how dangerous these digital handcuffs are for free software users and developers alike, and how far they go toward restraining legitimate uses of works.

Unitary Patent: the Court of Justice Opens the Door to Software Patents

Submitted by jtadeusz on 5 May, 2015 - 17:37
in

On May 5th, 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union rendered its decisions on the appeals lodged by Spain against the unitary patent. Not surprisingly, the Court followed the conclusions of Advocate General Bot (in French) and approved the entirety of the package, in spite of the dangers it presents.

European Digital Single Market: Balancing Copyright Still Not on the Cards

Submitted by fcouchet on 29 April, 2015 - 15:57
in

On 20 April 2015, Politico.eu published two working documents on the digital single market. These leaked documents are revealing about the Commission's upcoming strategy regarding all digital matters. Revising the IPRED directive, DRM as well as interoperability are among the issues tackled.

Let's Take Part in the Global Trade Day against TAFTA/TTIP, CETA, TISA on Saturday April 18 2015

Submitted by jtadeusz on 17 April, 2015 - 14:56
in

On Saturday, April 18 2015, everywhere in France and in the rest of the world will take place the Global Trade Day, against trade agreements such as TTIP/TAFTA, CETA, TISA, ... . April encourages everyone to participate in the events..

The European Commission Reinforces Its Strategy on Free Software: Now Let's See Some Action

Submitted by tgodefroy on 7 April, 2015 - 14:30
in

The European Commission has published a new version of its Free Software Strategy for the 2014-2017 period 1. This strategy largely builds on the previous one while adding a more affirmative attitude towards Free Software.

Joint Statement : Maximising Inclusiveness and Engagement through the Use of Open Standards in the European Commission

Submitted by fcouchet on 25 March, 2015 - 11:00
in

Today, 25 March 2015, is Document Freedom Day, the international day to celebrate and raise awareness of Open Standards. On this occasion, the organizations April, Free Software Foundation Europe, European Digital Rights, OpenForum Europe and Open Source Business Alliance would like to reflect on the importance for public institutions in general, and for the European Commission in particular, considering its leadership role, of using Open Standards in all their digital communication and services.

April supports Document Freedom Day on 25 March 2015

Submitted by fcouchet on 24 March, 2015 - 15:14
in

April supports Document Freedom Day, which will be held on 25 March 2015. The Day's aim is to remind people of the importance of having truly open document formats. Such formats allow citizens, consumers, governments and companies to use the software of their choice while retaining long-term control over their documents and their data.

For the 2015 edition, we encourage everyone to educate as many people as possible to the importance of open standards, citizens as well as public officials.

April Talk on TAFTA, CETA, TISA in Cambridge (USA), Saturday 21 March 2015

Submitted by fcouchet on 20 March, 2015 - 19:51
in

April will be present at LibrePlanet in Cambridge (USA) on 21 and 22 March 2015 and will give a talk on trade agreements such as TAFTA (Transatlantic Free Agreement/Area) and their impact on computer freedoms.

LibrePlanet is the FSF's annual congress (Free Software Foundation). The 2015 edition will take place at MIT (Massachussets Institute of Technology) in Cambridge (USA) on 21 and 22 March 2015.

Reda Report: Only a Few Hours Left to Reject the Pro-DRM Amendments

Submitted by tgodefroy on 20 March, 2015 - 11:39
in

Only a few hours are left until the debates in the European Parliament, which are scheduled to take place on 23-24 March, to reach out to members of the JURI Committee and ask them to reject the amendments aiming to salvage digital handcuffs (DRM).

Paris Joins April and Strengthens Its Commitment to Free Software

Submitted by tgodefroy on 16 March, 2015 - 17:05
in

Paris, 13 March 2015. Press Release.

April has the pleasure to announce that the City of Paris has joined our organisation and wishes to further its action in favour of free software.

Following a request in December 2014 by the Greens' group in the City Council of Paris, and a deliberation initiated by Mr Emmanuel Grégoire, the Deputy Mayor in charge of modernising city government, Paris' membership to April was approved by the Council.

Reda Report: A Pitiful Shower of Amendments to Salvage DRM (Digital Handcuffs)

Submitted by tgodefroy on 13 March, 2015 - 13:28
in

Paris, 12 March 2015. For immediate release.

Many MEPs proposed amendments in the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), with the intention of destroying any advances from the Reda Report. This disheartening behaviour should urgently be opposed. Should these amendments be adopted, digital handcuffs (DRM) would get a free pass and continue to exert their harmful restrictive measures. April calls for mobilisation to help inform MEPs of the JURI Committee before the upcoming debates on 23 and 24 March 2015.

Statement in Support of Software Freedom Conservancy and Christoph Hellwig, GPL Enforcement Lawsuit

Submitted by fcouchet on 11 March, 2015 - 19:02
in

On Thursday, March 5, 2015, Christoph Hellwig, with support from the Software Freedom Conservancy, filed suit in Hamburg, Germany against VMware Global, Inc.

The European Commission Is Moulding a (New?) Copyright on the Same Hackneyed ACTA Model

Submitted by tgodefroy on 6 March, 2015 - 16:26
in

Paris, 3 March 2015. Press Release.

On 1 July 2014, the European Commission adopted a communication entitled “Towards a renewed consensus on the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights: An EU Action Plan”, which borrowed several concepts from the draft of the ACTA trade agreement. In the European Parliament, far from following the tone set by the Reda report on copyright reform, several draft reports are following the Commission's lead.

Campaign of the French Publisher's Association - A DRM-Locked E-Book Cannot Be Compared to a Printed Book

Submitted by fcouchet on 6 March, 2015 - 12:39
in

The French Publisher's Association (SNE) just launched a campaign entitled “A book is a book” [fr], advocating that printed books and electronic books should be treated equally. April would like to point out that an e-book locked by DRM cannot be compared with a printed book: the reader of a "digitally handcuffed e-book" is deprived of essential freedoms.

Are “Maverick” French Officials Overstepping the Policy Framework on TAFTA?

Submitted by tgodefroy on 4 March, 2015 - 19:13
in

Paris, 27 February 2015, Press Release.

Despite the French government's stated position, some French officials are inviting French MEPs to not reject the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism —a position also adopted by Bernd Lange, the German socialist Rapporteur of this text. April calls on MEPs not to yield to these manipulations, and reiterates its call on the European Commission and all the institutions involved to drop negotiations.

April: a New President, a Strenghtened Management Team, But the Same Enthusiasm As Ever

Submitted by tgodefroy on 2 March, 2015 - 15:02
in

Paris, 11 February 2015. Press Release.

April just published its activity report for 2015, and is delighted to announce the election of its new Board of Directors. This year, the Board will be chaired by Jean-Christophe Becquet.

Libre Software Meeting (Beauvais, France, July 2015) - Submit Your Talk

Submitted by april on 10 February, 2015 - 12:58
in

The Call for papers is open for the Libre Software Meeting (Beauvais, France, July 2015). The deadline for submitting a talk is March 3rd, 2015.

RMLL/LSM — "Rencontres Mondiales du Logiciel Libre"/"Libre Software Meeting" — are a series of non-profit lectures, workshops and panels on Libre Software, its uses and its cultural environment. They are organized yearly in a friendly atmosphere.

Julia Reda's Report on the Review of the Copyright Directive: toward a Right to Interoperate with DRMs?

Submitted by tgodefroy on 29 January, 2015 - 12:19
in

Paris, January 28th, 2015, Press Release.

April is celebrating its 18th anniversary - Share the reasons why you love and support April

Submitted by april on 19 December, 2014 - 15:07
in

Logo de l'April pour les 18 ans April was registered as a nonprofit on November, 1996, at the Bobigny prefecture, and it's creation was announced in the Journal Officiel's issue n°51, from December 18th, 1996.

The association is thus celebrating it's eighteenth birthday!

European Parliament's Transparency Obligations Imply Adopting Free Software and Open Standards

Submitted by april on 19 December, 2014 - 11:23
in

Paris, December 15th, 2014, press release.

Are the days of forced bundling numbered?

Submitted by tgodefroy on 21 October, 2014 - 17:50
in

Paris, October 13th, 2014. Press release.

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