[IRP] FW: Rights not Copyrights!

[michael gurstein]

-----Original Message-----
From: AccessNow [mailto:info at accessnow.org] 
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 4:13 PM
To: Michael Gurstein
Subject: Rights not Copyrights!



Dear Michael,

  Can you imagine having your internet cut off? That is exactly what is
being proposed in Colombia for any person who is twice accused of copyright
infringement. It's madness, but this type of law is being supported all over
the world by the entertainment industry lobbies, and Colombia is the latest
battle where the line must be drawn.

Besides containing a "two strikes" provision, the bill is being fastracked
in the Colombian Congress, denying the users who it will affect a voice.
That is why we need to move fast. Let's send the Colombian government and
the copyrights lobby a message that they cannot ignore: our internet is our
right and cannot be taken away by them or anyone else.

Juan Manuel Galan, a popular senator, has the power to open up the
legislative process so the Colombian Congress has time to hear from
concerned citizens and the legal community, but it's going to take the
support of a massive movement of users in order for him to feel empowered to
act. Please sign this urgent petition, which we'll deliver to Senator Galan
before the Colombian Congress' next vote on this bill. If we manage to stop
this law, it will be a watershed event in the fight for internet freedom.
Add your name here: 

https://www.accessnow.org/rights-not-copyrights
<https://www.accessnow.org/page/m/3717cdbc/13a54daa/7289a5bd/1de407a1/377988
3128/VEsH/> 

Not only would this law put the digital rights of Colombian citizens at
risk, it would potentially harm people all over Latin America, as the
proposed Colombian law is seen as a model for how countries in this region
can comply with US Free Trade Agreements.

Other people inside Colombia, like Senator Camilo Romero, are calling for an
open process and less rush to pass the law so that all of its implications
can be considered, but with no history of citizen action around internet
policy, it's going to take a global outcry for the Colombian Congress to
answer the Colombian people's calls for real dialogue.

https://www.accessnow.org/rights-not-copyrights
<https://www.accessnow.org/page/m/3717cdbc/13a54daa/7289a5bd/1de407a1/377988
3128/VEsE/> 

This is literally the first time that citizens from Colombia have ever
actively questioned the government or organized around a law affecting
digital rights. The Colombian government needs to hear their voices and know
that the world is watching too!

https://www.accessnow.org/rights-not-copyrights
<https://www.accessnow.org/page/m/3717cdbc/13a54daa/7289a5bd/1de407a1/377988
3128/VEsF/> 

With hope,
The Access Team


  _____  


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