The European Commission has published its Digital Agenda, which identifies its plan for legislation in the next ten years in the digital world. Its overarching aims include creating a digital single market, enhancing trust and security on the Internet, having greater interoperability between technologies, having more investment in research in development and boosting Internet access speeds. Amongst its plans are to do the following:
- Change copyright law to increase digital trade between Member States of the European Union. The European Commission wants EU citizens to enjoy commercial services and entertainment, but it is concerned that people are being held up by barriers between different countries. It would like to see simpler copyright clearance, management and cross-border licensing. It may also consider having easier electronic payments and invoicing and a simple online dispute resolution system.
- Strengthen data protection laws in order to create more trust when people use online services. Currently, laws applicable to telecoms providers require them to notify customers if there has been a data security breach. The European Commission is considering extending that data security breach notification law much more widely to other sectors, including web sites.
These are early days in the European Commission's plans, so watch this space to see what actually happens.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
