News

Nearly half of respondents would be less likely to vote for a party supporting disconnection A new YouGov poll for the Open Rights Group shows that nearly a third (31%) of UK citizens would be much less likely to vote for a party that supported internet disconnection for online copyright infringement.

Amendment 138, guaranteeing Internet access and protecting fundamental civil liberties, is being watered down by Parliamentary negotiators seeking a compromise with the EU Council.

Royal Mail: sacking workers and closing down service helping them find new jobs over IP dispute A number of non-profit online services face closure today, after Royal Mail sent a cease and desist letter to free post code campaigners.

TONIGHT Media Futurist Gerd Leonhard, will say that musicians, labels and government need to focus on their wallets rather than technology if they are to save music from the threat of illicit music downloads on the internet.

Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group, commenting on the artists meeting yesterday, said: “We welcome that artists have moved away from disconnection, but throttling connections could in practice be just as damaging as disconnection.

Speaking at the EU Commission’s Google Books hearing today, Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group said: “We must not see this dispute as simply a process to deliver a compromise between two commercial interests.

7 January 2008 For immediate release OPEN RIGHTS GROUP ANNOUNCES JIM KILLOCK AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Open Rights Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Killock as its new Executive Director.

Embargoed until 0100 on 2 August 2007 The Open Rights Group (ORG) today extended a cautious welcome to recommendations made by the Electoral Commission for a pause in electoral pilots and a full public debate on the role technology might play in our electoral system.

For immediate release 13 November 2007 OPEN RIGHTS GROUP DISMAYED BY MINISTRY OF JUSTICE RESPONSE ON E-VOTING In the May 2007 local elections Open Rights Group observers, accredited by the Electoral Commission, took part in the monitoring of pilot electronic voting and electronic counting schemes.

For immediate release 17 September 2007 COMMISSION DECISION SHOWS BBC OUT OF TOUCH ON IPLAYER The Open Rights Group today welcomed the judgment of the European Court of First Instance to essentially uphold the European Commission’s decision that Microsoft abused its dominant market position.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 30 April 2007 The Open Rights Group today urged MPs to listen to the facts on copyright term extension, and not to the small group of people who seek to distort them by mistaking the copyright regime for a pension scheme.

Electoral Commission grants official accreditation to Open Rights Group missions FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 23 April 2007 The Electoral Commission have today granted Open Rights Group election monitors official observer status in the local elections of 3 May.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday 20th April Taking advantage of new legislation, the Open Rights Group will field a team of thirty observers to monitor the conduct of this May’s electoral pilots.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2 April 2007 OPEN RIGHTS GROUP WELCOMES EMI MOVE TO DITCH LOCKED-UP MUSIC The Open Rights Group, a grassroots membership organisation that campaigns for Internet users’ rights, has today applauded EMI’s move to sell unencumbered digital music compatible with all MP3 players.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 14 December 2006 BECKY HOGGE TO BE NEW ORG EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Open Rights Group is delighted to announce that Becky Hogge is going to be taking over from Suw Charman as ORG’s new full-time Executive Director on 15 January 2007.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 6 December 2006 OPEN RIGHTS GROUP WELCOMES GOWERS REVIEW * Evidence-based approach essential * Keeping the copyright term for sound recordings at 50 years is the right decision; Government must hold firm in face of music industry lobbying to ignore the report * Moves to tackle commercial-scale counterfeiting are welcome; but we must distinguish between counterfeiting and individual copying * Calls for “transformative works” exemption will be valuable if law drafted well * Delighted to see libraries supported in their essential cultural preservation role The Open Rights Group is delighted to see Andrew Gowers taking an evidence-based approach to Review of Intellectual Property, and welcomes many of the recommendations he makes.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5 December 2006 RIGOROUS ANALYSIS OF GOWERS REVIEW ESSENTIAL The Open Rights Group eagerly anticipates tomorrow’s publication of the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property.

For Immediate Release A leak from the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property has indicated that the government will reject calls from the music industry to lengthen the term of copyright protection given to sound recordings.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE This press release is being distributed by the Open Rights Group on behalf of Digital Rights Ireland and can also be read online: http://www.

Update (4 July 2008): Please note that this Press Release is 2 years old and relates to a proposal which is now, thankfully, off the table.