Google, Yahoo, eBay and Facebook have ganged up on Peter Mandelson's power grab in the Digital Economy Bill. The four Web giants have sent an open letter urging the disgraced peer to drop Clause 17, which gives him the power to rewrite copyright law.
Mandelson isn't going to let a little thing like not actually being elected to his job stop him from trying to scoop up more powers. Clause 17 of the bill will allow Mandelson to rewrite copyright law and confer powers on non-government bodies. It's this that the four Internet giants object to, as it 'opens the way for arbitrary measures' that 'would discourage innovation [and] impose unnecessary costs, potentially unsettling the careful balance of responsibilities for enabling market change which Lord Carter outlined in the Digital Britain report'. The clause 'creates uncertainty for consumers and businesses and puts at risk the UK's leading position in a digital Europe'.
It's not a principled stand against outdated ideas about copyright, then, but rather a business-motivated warning against creating uncertainty and instability in the digital sector. This is exactly what the government needs to hear: we can go on about information wanting to be free as much as we like, but that won't sway the law makers.
The Digital Economy Bill was debated in the House of Lords on Wednesday. It will now go for detailed examination by committee on 6 January, before going back to the Lords for further discussion and amendment.
Click 'continue' to read the full text of the letter.
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