[A2k] English version of French education exception campaign call for international solidarity

[Philippe Aigrain]

Dear all,

Please find below a press release from a french scientific and =A0
educational committee asking for international support.

French Parliament is currently transposing the European Union =A0
Copyright Directive, an adaptation of 1996 WIPO copyright treaties. =A0
There is no fair use for education and research in our country and =A0
recent private agreement are threatening the use of copyrighted works =A0
in education and research: only 30 seconds music extracts, no VOD, =A0
DVDs, cable TV programmes display...

If you share this concern, please forward this message to the Members =A0
of Parliament involved (e-mails below) and express your support to =A0
the french teaching and research community.

Sorry for any inconvenience this unsollicited e-mail may cause you,

Thanks,

Melanie Dulong

--
14-03-2006

A Call for Civil Disobedient for Pedagogical Exception in France

The Petition : http://www.politechnicart.net/exception/

The scientific and educational committee has been informed in the =A0
last few days of the nature of the agreements reached, with no =A0
consultation with any other interested parties, between the Ministry =A0
of Education and rightsholders collecting societies in the field of =A0
music, video/television, press, visual arts and the written word.

These agreements sector by sector are meant to replace existing =A0
legislation and are in contradiction with the exceptions provided for =A0
in the relevant European directive (EUCD). They are designed to =A0
control our use of texts, music, images and films in our classrooms, =A0
our lecture halls, our libraries, our conferences, and our publications.

For months now, the Conference of French University Presidents have =A0
been demanding the principle of pedagogical exception to be =A0
introduced into the law bill now under discussion in Parliament =A0
concerning Copyright and Neighbouring Rights in the Information Society.

Considering the shamefully regressive and repressive nature of these =A0
new agreements in matters of teaching and research, thousands of =A0
scholars and teachers, including elected members of the Universities =A0
National Council (CNU), undergraduate and graduate students, and many =A0
others committed to maintaining educational policies of high standard =A0
and international reknown, hereby declare a campaign of civil =A0
disobedience!

Even as this communiqu=E9 is drawn up, these educators, teachers and =A0
scholars are preparing to announce to their students =A0that they are =A0
no longer in a position to fulfil their educational mission in any =A0
serious way.

We all realise that a campaign of civil disobedience is a very =A0
serious matter.

It is a rare option in our country and may well have no precedent : =A0
educators have committed themselves publicly to disobey their =A0
minister and the law, and they will continue, no matter what the cost =A0
and in spite of any threats or sanctions, to show films, play =A0
records, distribute texts... in any way they deem useful and relevant.

There are today colleagues who have been sued by rightholders. We =A0
demand the immediate suspension of all such actions.

We ask our MPs, sole legitimate representatives of the national =A0
interest within the framework of the harmonisation of European =A0
policies on education and research, to exert to the full their =A0
authority so that France may endow itself with a reasonable =A0
Pedagogical Exception.

We call all our colleagues around the world to send a message at =A0
French MPs for support a Pedagogical Exception in France :

cpaul@assemblee-nationale.fr
fdutoit@assemblee-nationale.fr
f.bayrou@udf.org
dmathus@assemblee-nationale.fr
mbillard@assemblee-nationale.fr
cboutin@assemblee-nationale.fr
bcarayon@assemblee-nationale.fr
pbloche@assemblee-nationale.fr
jpbrard@assemblee-nationale.fr
hemmanuelli@assemblee-nationale.fr
lwauquiez@assemblee-nationale.fr
cvanneste@assemblee-nationale.fr
baccoyer@assemblee-nationale.fr
jdionis@assemblee-nationale.fr
asuguenot@assemblee-nationale.fr