The information society
| Published date | 01 May 1997 |
| Pages | 417-418 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045592 |
| Date | 01 May 1997 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
THE
INFORMATION
SOCIETY
Continuing
our
review
of
government initiatives
and
projects
that will
help
the growth
of
the
Information
Society.
If
you
know
of
such
a pro-
ject,
or
are involved in
one
that
you
would like
to see
here,
please con-
tact
the Managing
Editor,
Ben
Jeapes,
at
the
pub-
lisher's address
or
by
e-
mail at
tel@learned.co.uk.
Europe
European/Australian copyright deal
A European/Australian alliance has been
announced for the protection and trading of digital
intellectual property on the Internet. Europe's IMPRI-
MATUR and Australia's PROPAGATE projects, both
major players in the emerging digital copyright mar-
ket, have agreed in principle to joint technical devel-
opment on the basis of open system architecture for
Electronic Copyright Management Systems. The
agreement covers digital material such as music,
video,
text and images.
The Project Manager of PROPAGATE, Bronwyn
Wells,
said the agreement is 'an excellent opportuni-
ty for Australia to contribute to a major global initia-
tive for the protection and trade of copyright materi-
al.
By drawing on Australia's leading edge technical
skills and prominence in the international copyright
arena,
we believe that the outcomes of this alliance
will be of real significance to the Asia Pacific region.'
IMPRIMATUR and PROPAGATE will be seeking
assistance under the Bilateral RTD treaty between
the European Union and the Australian Government.
More information is available at the IMPRIMATUR
Web site,
http://www.imprimatur.alcs.co.uk.
Parliamentary approval for the
Information Society
The European Parliament has approved the
European Commission's proposal for a Community
programme to stimulate the establishment of the
Information Society in Europe — subject to a few
amendments. These mainly concern procedural
matters relating to the implementation of the pro-
gramme: for example, one amendment calls for the
establishment of an expert consultation group to
assist the advisory committee, which is to be made
up of national civil servants and a Commission re-
presentative.
Parliament's opinion will now be delivered to the
Council,
which will take the final decision on the pro-
gramme.
The Commission's policies for the development of
the Information Society in Europe are set out in
three reports adopted by Parliament: 'The
Information Society: From Corfu to Dublin', 'The
Implications of the Information Society for EU
Policies' and 'Europe at the Forefront of the Global
Information Society: The European Approaches'.
MEPs recognise that Europe must be at the centre
of development in the Information Society, which will
both create higher standards of living and increase
wealth.
Parliament's main concern is to ensure that
the societal effects of the development of the
Information Society are fully understood and
addressed.
Recommendations for the Internet in
Europe
A study on 'The Future of the Internet — What Role
for Europe?' has been published as the interim
report of a Commission advisory group. The study
analyses the development of the Internet and makes
recommendations for European policy.
The study traces development of the Internet from its
early years as a means of transmitting unformatted
text e-mails through its increasing ability to transmit
larger and more complex files of both text and graph-
ics,
to the development of multimedia applications
on the World Wide Web. It acknowledges that
Europe lags some two to three years behind the
USA in the extent to which the Internet is used, both
for home and business use. This means that
European firms are at a disadvantage for developing
new applications compared to their US competitors.
The advisory group has therefore put forward a num-
ber of recommendations to ensure that the Internet
develops successfully in Europe:
• the EU should recognise the key role that the
Internet is likely to play in the economic develop-
ment of Europe over the coming decades;
• specific recognition is needed that this is now a
critical moment for the evolution of the Internet
towards electronic commerce;
• these acts of recognition must be followed by
urgent and effective
action,
and appropriate
bud-
getary commitment, aimed at ensuring that
Europe reduces the extent to which it is lagging
behind the USA in the development and applica-
tion of the Internet.
Other recommendations include:
• the Commission should have a carefully focused
and adequately resourced centre of expertise for
dealing with the Internet and its likely ramifica-
tions;
• the parallel creation of a forum which would bring
together all Europeans with a strong interest in
the evolution of the Internet;
• all geographic areas of the EU should be able to
benefit from timely development of the Internet;
• the EU must continue its strong emphasis on fast
and effective liberalisation of telecommunica-
tions.
The interim report can be found on the ESPRIT
home page at http://www.cordis.lu/esprit/src/
i2eurepo.htm.
The Electronic Library, Vol. 15, No. 5, October 1997 417
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