[Ecommerce] BEUC (European Consumer group) on Consumer Digital Rights

[Manon Ress]

BEUC is pleased to invite you to a press conference

co-hosted by Mrs Zuzana Roithova MEP on:

CONSUMERS=92 DIGITAL RIGHTS

=93P2P is like stealing a CD from a shop!=94, =93We have to protect artists
who are being robbed by consumers on the Internet=94. Big music and
film companies are continuously feeding us claims like this -
painting private consumers as pirates and criminals. They tell
consumers what they cannot do in the digital world and hide behind
the artists that they claim to defend. The time has come to guarantee
consumers certain basic rights in the digital world and to tell them
what they can do with their digital hardware or content.

During this press conference, BEUC will launch its Declaration of
Consumers Rights in the Digital Environment, and you will have the
opportunity to discover the artists supporting our campaign and take
a glance at our new website dedicated to this issue, featuring
consumers and artists interviews, updates on EU legislation and
latest news from BEUC member organisations. We will also take this
opportunity to present the results of our new pan-European studies on
online cultural diversity and on interoperability.

The press conference will be followed by a reception, with MEP Zuzana
Roithova and other MEPs, representatives from European consumer
organisations, officials from the Commission and Permanent
representatives interested in the issue.

Press Conference

Date and time: Thursday 10th November 2005 at 10 am

Venue: European Parliament

Press Room - PHS 0A50

Reception Room - A5H1

Brussels

RSVP: Annesylvie Six

Tel: +32 (0)2 743 15 90

Email: asi@beuc.org

---------------

LAUNCH OF THE CONSUMERS DIGITAL RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

JOINT INVITATION

Zuzana Roithova, M.D., MBA Jim Murray, Director

Member of the European Parliament, BEUC

60 rue Wiertz Avenue Tervuren, 36/4

B-1047 Brussels B-1040 Brussels

tel:+32 (0) 228 37485 tel:+32 (0) 2 743 15 91

fax:+32 (0) 228 49485 fax:+32 (0) 2 740 28 02

zroithova-assistant@europarl.eu.int gol@beuc.org

Ref.: CKU/2005195/rsa 4 November 2005

We are writing to invite you to the launch of the BEUC campaign on
Consumers digital rights in the European Parliament on 10 November at
11 am in room ASP 5H1.

On television, on the street and in the newspapers, big music and
film companies are continuously painting private consumers as pirates
and criminal. The same companies publish guides telling consumers
what they cannot do in the digital world. The industry hides behind
the artists that it claims to defend, alienating their fans and
supporters.

The aim of this campaign is to guarantee consumers certain basic
rights in the digital world, and to tell them what they can do with
their digital hardware/content.

We want to maintain consumer protection in the digital environment
and the important long-established balance in intellectual property,
which promotes innovation, economic development and the public
interest. This balance is being badly distorted in many areas of the
digital economy, including Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems.

With the launch of our Declaration of Consumers Digital Rights, European

Consumer Organisations are calling on policy makers to urgently
address the challenges that consumers face in an era shaped by
digital technology.

We would be delighted if you were able to join us on this occasion
and we would be grateful if you could confirm your presence by
replying to this email (rsa@beuc.org) or by telephone 02-743 15 95
before 8 November.

We look forward to welcoming you to the event.

Zusana Roithova Jim Murray

Date and time

Venue

RSVP

Thursday 10th November 2005 at 11 am

European Parliament

Brussels

Reception Room - ASP 5H1

Rosa Santa Barbara

Tel: +32 (0)2 743 15 95

Email: rsa@beuc.org


************************************************
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Ext 16 Fax: +1.202.332.2673

Consumer Project on Technology
1 Route des  Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 6727

Consumer Project on Technology
24 Highbury Crescent, London, N5 1RX, UK
Tel: +44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252 Fax: +44(0)207 354 0607