U.S. Tech Giants Alarmed By EU Internet Liability Proposal

The EU proposal would require internet companies to run content filtering software that would detect copyrighted material. According to a group of U.S. tech trade groups, if implemented it would effectively make internet companies liable for copyright violations, instead of the parties who put the material online. The alarm was raised by way of a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. Signatories included the Computer and Communications Industry Association, the Consumer Technology Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, and the Internet Association. The letter contends that the content filters would be extraordinarily expensive, and that one effect would be to create an insurmountable barrier to startup entrepreneurs.