When a crime is committed, one would think that allegations can be disputed in court. Apparently, the Spanish government is currently considering a law that would allow rights holders to shut down an internet site without a court order.
Note: This is an article I wrote that was published elsewhere first. It has been republished here for archival purposes
There’s a stunning turn of events occurring in Spain right now. According to information gathered by EDRI, the Spanish government is currently in the process of passing legislation that would allow rights holders to effectively be judge and jury over copyright infringement accusations.
The Spanish arts and user community expressed outrage that something like this would even be considered in the first place. It may be passed through Spanish parliament by 2010 and have a devastating effect in the Spanish cultural community.
The real damage being done, if this legislation were to pass, would no doubt spread beyond the borders of Spain given how the Three Strikes Law passed in France and effectively started to spread throughout the world.
The Spanish Pirate Party responded (Google Translated) saying that this legislation will create a committee of censorship in the Minister of Culture and joined the “Sinde’s list” in response.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
