If you’re partial to a bit of geospatial data and a good old maps mash-up then this consulation should interest you: “INSPIRE [a European Directive] aims to make available consistent spatial data sets about the environment and create services for accessing these datasets so that they can to be more easily shared or combined to benefit the development and monitoring of environmental policy and practice. This consultation seeks views on the policy principles that will inform the drafting of Statutory Instruments to transpose the Directive and on the Directive’s impact.”

The UK Intellectual Property Office are consulting on the future direction of copyright, aiming “to ensure that the copyright system properly supports creativity, promotes investment and jobs while also inspiring the confidence of businesses and of users (as being fair and reasonable). In building a long term vision and supporting our creative industries, we need to think beyond our national borders and consider the global future of copyright.” Please use this post to give us evidence for ORG’s submission, which will be completed by the end of January 2009.

This consultation is intended to set out and gather views on a proposal for a co-regulatory approach that could be adopted in order to facilitate and ensure co-operation between Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and rights holders to address the problem of illicit use of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing technology to exchange unlawful copies of copyright material. This takes forward Recommendation 39 of the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property which addressed the issue of illicit use of P2P. The consultation also identifies and seeks views on other potential options and calls for evidence on issues related to illicit use of P2P. The closing date for all responses is 30 October 2008

The EU Commission has formally accepted DG Internal Market’s proposal to extend the duration of copyright protection for sound recordings. Please leave your comments on their Impact Assessment to help us oppose it.

The EU Commission has formally accepted DG Internal Market’s proposal to extend the duration of copyright protection for sound recordings. Please leave your comments on their proposal to help us oppose it.

This general, broad review of consumer law may be a place to press our agenda on proper labelling of DRM as well as other digital rights concerns. Please help us respond by commenting on the extracted questions. The deadline for submissions is 31 July 2008.

Due to a lack of community interest and resources, we did not submit to this consultation.

The EC want to “give a new boost to Europe’s online content sector” by regulating for a Single Market in content online. Issues under consideration include DRM, multi-territory licensing and piracy. Please comment on their questions and inform our work, which will be submitted to the EC the end of February ‘08.

This consultation is intended to bring greater flexibility to the UK copyright regime by strengthening existing and introducing some entirely new exceptions.

Freedom of Information legislation increased the transparency and accountability of government services. This consultation considers how we should extend the mechanism to to other suppliers of public services. Please comment in particular on the consultation’s nine questions, giving references where possible.