Our word is our bond. Shemesh Bond
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US pressured Spain into internet censorship law
THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT pressured its Spanish peers into adopting the SOPA style rules that we reported on earlier this week.
Under Spain's Sinde law web sites can be shut down at the whim of copyright holders who only have to send a letter to some welcoming ears if they think they have a case to argue. These letters can lead to web sites being shut down after just ten days of chin stroking by a committee.
A letter, leaked from the governments and reproduced at Torrent Freak explains why Spain made the leap to adopting such a controversial set of rules. The US government threatened Spain and gave it no alternative.
The letter, from the US ambassador to Spain, is actually just one part of a fleet of missives sent between the governments, but it does seem to be most pressing.
"The Government of Spain made commitments to the rights owners and to the U.S. Government. Spain can not afford to see their credibility questioned on this issue," wrote US ambassador Alan Solomont. "The rampant Internet piracy hurts the economy of Spain and cultural industries... The government has unfortunately failed to finish the job for political reasons, to the detriment of the reputation and economy of Spain."
Torrent Freak reports that this pressure also included the threat that if Spain did not approve the SOPA like laws then it would be placed on a US government Priority Watch List, which could affect trade between the two countries.
If that wasn't enough, and it wasn't, the head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Spain, Jaime Malet, also sent a letter to the incoming Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, in which he warned that foreign investment could avoid Spain if it did not act to properly protect intellectual property. µ
Tags: Internet
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"La ley Sinde" was never actually enacted. The council of ministers left it unapproved at the session of 2/12 because of "widespread protests and controversy" (El día 02 de diciembre de 2011 el Consejo de Ministros ha dejado sin aprobar el reglamento que desarrolla la Ley Sinde)
And it's PRESIDENT Rajoy, not "Prime Minister"
It changes nothing.
You post a lot of mindless drivel here under different names advocating death and dismemberment to any infringement. I wonder what your business interests are? I'm sick of you. The copyright legislation is idiocy in progress and is so screwed up no legal system will be able to deal with it. Look at any page on your browser and it's loaded into the cache files (as in copied) As for music and video well, record it off air, off satellite, off pay per view off Netflix WTF is the difference. Spend a few cents and but your tunes on line (something the movie companies have yet to embrace as in mp4 sales). Oh and lets remove every copy machine in every college and university while we're at it. Idiot.
Anyone opposed to stopping piracy should leave permanently. Use a rope as a bullet would be a waste of good lead.
To me the 'threat' of less US influence would be a compelling reason to reject the law.
Spain is already in an economic crisis caused by bush collapsing the world economy and nobody being able to fix it really, and the US sharks are responding by pecking at the weak victims lying dried out in the sun, so to have the vultures avoid you seems more than good news to me in the end.
It's funny to see the bias of certain hacks perpetuated in what is proposed to be "news".
We demand the Spanish Inquisition.
I feel so ashamed that I would leave my country.