Dear Colleagues

Apologies again for cross posting. Time is very short.

This is round two! Your lobbying is really making a difference as you will
see below, but there is still a fight on our hands. You have responded
brilliantly to the first call to arms so please help again!  As we don't
have the financial resources of the music and publishing industries to win
friends and influence people, your personal voice to your own MEPs really
counts and has effect.

It is most important at this stage to ask MEPs not only to reject amendments
95-104, but to also persuade their colleagues in the other Member States to
do so - especially at this stage those who sit on the Legal Affairs
Committee (LAC). MEPs belong to parliamentary political groupings which
include MEPs from across the Member States eg. the Greens, the Socialists
etc. (For an explanation of all this look at
http://www.europarl.org.uk/guide_to/mainframe.html)

Thanks to those who wrote to their MEPs last time and who forwarded their
MEPs' replies to me. These were very useful.

Another urgent message from Sandy Norman (the LA's Copyright Adviser and
Secretary to the LA Copyright Alliance) follows below with suggested text
for you to use if you wish.

Thank you all.

Yours sincerely

Barbara Stratton
Information Manager. Members' Information Centre
The Library Association
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----

Dear Colleagues

We still need more help to get the Directive back in balance!

A really big thank you to all those who responded to the first call to lobby
their MEPs on the EU Copyright Directive. The response from MEPs has been
terrific ranging from to an acknowledgement of the problems to promising
positive support. Several MEPs have offered to contact their colleagues in
the party or on the Legal Affairs Committee (LAC) to relay the problems.

Just to bring you up to date, the Legal Affairs Committee met on the 29th to
discuss Boselli's draft report and the amendments but they have postponed
the vote until 5th February. This is mainly because there was a division
between the Socialist MEPs (PES). Apparently they could not agree a party
line. Cynics are saying that this delay will give the anti exceptions lobby
time to regroup and consider tactics. This just might be the case.

We have had a sight of which amendments have been withdrawn. There is some
good news. Neil MacCormick for instance has withdrawn all his amendments and
Arlene McCarthy has withdrawn some of hers. Of the others, Boselli has
indicated which ones he could and could not support. Some of the ones he
could support include amendments 95-104 which happen to be the disastrous
library ones! It is really bad if Boselli has not considered these to be
affecting the balance of the Common Position. One of the organisations
behind these proposed amendments is IFRRO - International Federation of
Reproduction Rights Owners - the international arm of the CLA.

So we still have everything to fight for. Please could you contact your own
MEP(s) once again including any LAC members from your region, thank them for
what they have done, urge them to  reject amendments 95-104 and to persuade
their colleagues in the other Member States to do so too (most important).
Just to remind you, the names and contacts for all UK MEPs by electoral
region can be found at http://www.europarl.org.uk/uk_meps/mainframe.html

See below for list of UK MEPs on the Legal Affairs Committee.

Some suggested points to make - where possible, please now personalise them
as this is follow up correspondence  eg. copy and paste the bullet points
below but personalise the topping and tailing (even give examples to
illustrate any of the points if you can and feel free to think up others).
Please lobby them as soon as possible as the LAC vote is now scheduled for
Monday 5th February.

* There are about 190,000 library service points in Europe with 122 million
members registered in these libraries. The public interest exceptions will
help these libraries to perform their services. Making European law more
restrictive than international treaties will deprive European citizens of
their right to access and use information.

* Librarians uphold the law. They are not pirates and do not condone piracy.
They respect copyright and make their users aware of the limits of copying.
Copying in libraries is carefully controlled to ensure balance between
protection for rights holders and reasonable access.

* Librarians must not be restricted to copying only for archiving and
conservation. Not being able to copy for other purposes - purposes which
have been recognised for the last 50 years as being acceptable - will stifle
access to information. This Directive does not only cover digital uses, it
will affect copying from print-based material. Copying under statutory
exceptions does not interfere with the Internal Market.  objectives.

* Libraries underpin research and education. Existing and potential authors
and researchers need reasonable access to works contained in libraries.
Having to pay for each item will create a barrier.

* The EU should not be allowed to dictate how Member States formulate their
laws outside of the aims of the Single Market.

List of MEPs on the LAC

* Mr Bill Miller MEP (socialist) fax: 00-32-2-284-9715; email:
[log in to unmask]
* Ms Arlene McCarthy MEP (socialist) fax: 00-32-2-284-9501; email:
[log in to unmask]
* Mr Malcolm Harbour MEP (conservative) fax 00-32-2-284-9132;
[log in to unmask]
* The Lord Inglewood MEP (conservative) fax: 00-32-2-284-9309; email
[log in to unmask]
* Ms Diana Wallis MEP  (liberal) fax: 00-32-2-284-9201; email:
[log in to unmask]
* Ms Theresa Villiers MEP  (conservative) fax: 00-32-2-284-9792: email:
[log in to unmask]
* Ms Mel Read MEP  (socialist) fax: 00-32-2-284-9511; email:
[log in to unmask]
* Professor Neil MacCormick MEP (Green group, SNP) fax: 00-32-2-284-9480;
email [log in to unmask]


Sandy Norman,
Copyright Consultant,
[log in to unmask]