Blog Post

AEPOC increasingly alarmed about understanding of piracy in the EU

AAPA

20th July 2009

Jean Grenier: "Piracy is not a sport, it remains a theft. The election of the Pirate Party shows there is confusion among voters on this matter."
Time has come for the EU to deliver stronger protection for audio-visual content
Operators of card sharing servers arrested in Greece and Cyprus
AEPOC welcomes Pay-TV and broadband operator Multichoice Hellas as new Member

Brussels – July 20, 2009 – The entry of the "Pirate Party" in the European Parliament forces national governments and the EU to take up a stance over their position towards audio-visual piracy: During the recent board meeting of AEPOC, Europe's flagship Anti-piracy association for the protection of encrypted works and services, AEPOC discussed the "Pirate Bay" sentence in Sweden and the election of the "Pirate Party" into the European Parliament. AEPOC views the "success" of the Pirate Party, which questions the concept of intellectual property and copyright, and calls for the general removal of patent protections, as a strong alarm signal. "This should act as a wake-up call for national governments and the European Commission to take a clear position on piracy matters", said AEPOC's President Jean Grenier.

The vote for the Pirate Party follows the closure of "The Pirate Bay" filesharing website by a Swedish court in April this year - an outcome that upset users and resulted in their sympathetic votes being cast on this single issue in the European elections.

During AEPOC's Brussels meeting Pay-TV and broadband operator Multichoice Hellas was admitted to AEPOC membership. Multichoice Hellas offers Pay-TV services under the Nova brand both in Greece and Cyprus and is part of the Forthnet Group, the leading alternative telecom operator in Greece. The representatives of Multichoice Hellas reported a number of successful blows against piracy in the countries, namely in the area of newer forms of piracy such as the illegal distribution of content via card-sharing servers. As an EU member, Greece implemented the European CA-Directive against audio-visual piracy in 2003, prosecuting offenders with imprisonment of up to 12 years maximum. AEPOC and Multichoice Hellas advocate the adoption of this law also in Cyprus - and elsewhere in the EU where the Directive has not yet been transposed into national law. In this regard AEPOC cultivates the dialogue with national governments and members of the European Parliament, as well as different EU working groups in Brussels to provide business, technical and legal insight into cyber crime issues, especially in the Pay-TV sector.

AEPOC President Jean Grenier summarized the association's position: "Piracy is not a sport, it remains a theft. The election of the Pirate Party shows there is confusion among voters on this matter. The creative industry and political decision makers should draw a very clear line against cyber crime, as our society and economy relies increasingly on internet-based or other digital services. The internet must not be a lawless territory that excuses or condones crime, be it theft, counterfeiting or child abuse." Grenier continued: "This is particularly relevant with regard to the younger members of our society who are susceptible to the message of the Pirate Party, a message which appears romantic, yet is criminal at its core."

The next AEPOC meeting is planned for October 2009.

< Older Post Newer Post >

Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance 2024-2029 EU Manifesto

by AAPA • 01 Oct, 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) publishes its first Manifesto, linked here . The document aims to recognise past efforts of EU legislators when it comes to content protection and the fight against copyright infringement, whilst admitting that more can and should be done to address this growing issue. Miruna Herovanu, Executive Director of AAPA said : " After years of laying the groundwork to combat online piracy it’s time for EU policymakers and beyond to fully acknowledge that decisive, targeted measures are needed at the European level. The rise of digital theft demands action. We call for strong political resolve to end the theft of our members' content. We're ready to support every stakeholder—law enforcement, policymakers, and industry representatives—to dismantle criminal networks and protect European consumers from harm."

AAPA ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

by AAPA • 28 May, 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has announced the appointment of Miruna Herovanu as its Executive Director. Miruna was previously the Director at the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand in Europe in charge of Intellectual Property and Competition policies. She took up her position with AAPA on 27 May 2024 and will be based in Brussels. Miruna will replace Sheila Cassells who is retiring as Executive Vice President of AAPA and will report on a day-to-day basis to the two Co-Presidents, Mark Mulready, VP of Cyber Services at Irdeto and Oliver Pribramksy, Head of IP Protection and Committees at the Deutsche Fussball Liga. She will be responsible for the implementation of the strategy agreed by AAPA members, managing relationships with law enforcement agencies such as Europol, Eurojust, INTERPOL and the European Institutions, delivery of AAPA’s Working Group goals and general management of the Alliance. Mark Mulready said that: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Miruna’s calibre and experience to become the Executive Director of AAPA. Miruna’s commitment to copyright protection is well-known. Her knowledge of the Brussels institutions and the EUIPO will stand AAPA in good stead for future policy developments. A priority will be for Miruna to work closely with AAPA members, the EUIPO and the European Institutions to deliver on, inter alia, the goals of combatting online piracy of sports and other live events recommendation.” Miruna Herovanu commented that: “My professional experience demonstrated that piracy is an ever-growing issue that eats at the heart of Europe’s most important industries. This is a golden opportunity and a new professional challenge that will help further develop my passion for and commitment to protecting copyright. Being able to work with and support industry experts and practitioners in AAPA, law enforcement, the European Institutions and other trade associations is essential to the fight against piracy. I am excited to be taking on this role.”