File sharers win as EU agrees on web users' rights

EU politicians and governments have agreed on a set of internet rules - which include a degree of protection for file sharers' internet connections. Photo / AP

BRUSSELS - EU lawmakers and governments have agreed on new rights for internet users, aiming to protect them from arbitrary crackdowns on those who illegally download music and movies on the internet.

EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said a deal was reached after EU governments agreed to EU parliament demands to balance measures against illegal downloaders with a broader set of rights for telecom users.

The reforms were two years in the making. They also include new privacy controls, consumer rights and increased competition for internet and phone services - key improvements that have been overshadowed by the fight over digital user rights.

The proposal also includes other reforms to overhaul Europe's telecoms market.

They include setting up a new EU-wide telecoms authority charged with ensuring fair competition, bolstering consumers' rights to switch mobile or landline telephone operators within one working day, and expanding digital networks to provide faster broadband internet service for users in rural areas.

EU lawmakers had been at odds with governments, notably France, over how to tackle the increase in illegal downloading.

Film and record labels had heavily lobbied the 27-nation bloc, demanding better enforcement of copyright rules to protect profits that are shrinking in the face of online file-sharing, in which people swap music files without paying.

However, in a victory for the EU assembly, governments relented and agreed to include guarantees in the bill protecting users from arbitrary cutoffs of their internet services.

"This internet freedom provision is unprecedented ... and (gives) a strong signal that the EU takes fundamental rights very seriously," Reding told reporters. "(It will) substantially enhance consumer rights and consumer choice in Europe's telecoms markets."

The bill still needs the final approval of the European Parliament and EU governments, which is expected later this month.

Under the guarantee, national authorities will only be able to cut off internet services if they have proof that a user was downloading illegal copies of movies or music files, ensuring that users are presumed innocent.

"Full due process rights will have to apply in any administrative case, except in cases of duly justified urgency, like serious crime, terrorism, child pornography," said Spanish lawmaker Alejo Vidal-Quadras. "This is really a step forward."