A First Look At The European Commission's Proposal For A Draft Data Act

The European Commission has presented its draft Data Act, which will affect a broad range of companies and heavily emphasizes data accessibility and fairness. Companies should begin to evaluate their current practices and assess how they may be impacted by this new framework.

On February 23, 2022, the European Commission presented its draft Data Act which is a proposal for a Regulation on harmonized rules on fair access to and use of data. The Data Act is designed to apply to all sectors with respect to the rights to use data- particularly in the areas of smart machinery or consumer goods and notably also covers non-personal data. The Data Act is part of a wider strategy and is the EU's latest legislative attempt to bolster its leadership by helping to create a single market for data. The European Union has previously pursued complementary legislation. For example, the proposed Regulation on data governance (the Data Governance Act) is aimed at facilitating "the