Supporters Of Article 13 Briefly Tried To Move Parliament Vote Up Before Scheduled Protests; Now Deny Plan That They Clearly Had

from the so-many-lies dept

Despite following this stuff for decades, sometimes even I'm surprised at the levels of intellectual dishonesty coming from those supporting bad copyright policy. The latest is that, despite widespread controversy and criticism over Article 13, some in the EU Parliament thought the appropriate strategy was to speed up the timeline to the vote on the Directive -- specifically holding the vote before a massive EU-wide protest that is planned for March 23. Rather than recognize that millions of people across the EU are so up in arms over the problems in Articles 11 and 13, German Member of the EU Parliament, Manfred Weber, the leader of the powerful European People's Party (EPP) simply proposed voting before the protests could even happen.

Of course, after this started getting some attention, the EPP was forced to deny that it supported such a plan, leaving MEP Julia Reda to reveal that she'd kept the receipts, namely revealing the memo sent out by the EPP Group to hold the vote within the next two weeks:

It's good that they backed off, but just the fact that they started, at least quietly, trying to push through such a vote shows exactly how scared supporters of the EU Copyright Directive are becoming. And that's all the more reason why, if you're based in Europe, you should be (a) contacting your MEP, and (b) getting out there and participating in various protests on March 23.

Update: And, of course, now there are reports that despite denying any such plan, the EPP Group has not actually withdrawn its request to move the vote up:

So it's still possible that the vote could be rushed...

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Filed Under: article 11, article 13, copyright, epp, eu copyright directive, eu parliament, manfred weber, politics, protests, will of the people


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  1. icon
    Draph91 (profile), 5 Mar 2019 @ 4:26am

    Just an FYI

    But you might want to update this article
    https://twitter.com/Senficon/status/1102904797039116289

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 5:01am

    You'd think that a law that supposedly has so much support wouldn't need to pull this sort of extrajudicial bullshit...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 5:50am

    Re:

    "Extrajudicial" means "outside of the court system." While this technically did not involve the courts, I don't think it's the word you're looking for here.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 6:34am

    Abolish Copyright

    It will only get worse.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 7:07am

    Re: Abolish Copyright

    Good luck with that LOL

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 7:37am

    Re: Abolish Copyright

    Start by murdering the mouse, as though the mouse himself wasn't proactively trying to commit suicide. Then take down the music industry. Because until you've shut off the firehose of money they spray on politicians nothing will change for the better.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 8:04am

    Re: Re: Abolish Copyright

    Posts like this are why we have Article 13 now.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    TFG, 5 Mar 2019 @ 8:23am

    Re: Re: Re: Abolish Copyright

    Oh, are we playing that game?

    I can play too: Posts like yours are why we have an internet that is only 1/2 the beacon of free communication that it should be. It's all your fault, bro.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 8:29am

    Fuck them all.

    Article13 supporters are dehumanizing themselves. If a dictator took power and began putting only these fucks into death camps, more power to him. I don't see #Article13 supporters as human beings anymore, only parasites that need extermination.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 8:32am

    Re: Re: Re: Abolish Copyright

    How's that Paul Hansmeier defense fund coming along, bro?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 8:42am

    Re: Fuck them all.

    Wow, that's rational.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 5 Mar 2019 @ 9:16am

    Re:

    Indeed, for claiming so much support, and asserting that it's fully justified and defensible, it's really telling that the only tactics used to defend it are lies and tricks like this.

    Almost as though they know they can't defend it honestly.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    TFG, 5 Mar 2019 @ 9:18am

    Re: Re: Fuck them all.

    It's a bad take, for sure. Not one I support.

    That said the people trying to ram it through the system are also basically ignoring the will of the people.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 5 Mar 2019 @ 9:23am

    'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    I'm curious as to how they thought that would/will work out. 'Our planned actions are so unpopular we've got large groups of people planning protests against them before we go ahead with the vote. I'm sure showing even more dishonesty and gross contempt for the public will head those protests right off!'

    As I noted before, it's like they are trying to get people to break out the torches and pitchforks.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 9:37am

    Re: Fuck them all.

    Good god. Because that's totally proportional....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:07am

    Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    Pirates are protesting, as they did with SOPA, but this time no one's fooled.

    This tantrum is epic.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:07am

    Re: Re: Re: Fuck them all.

    Rhetoric like that will easily wind up in some files.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:09am

    Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    No, they're not, but people planning to riot might find their internet posts used against them in a court of law.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. icon
    Matthew Cline (profile), 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:15am

    Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    Pirates are protesting, as they did with SOPA, but this time no one's fooled.

    If no one is fooled, what was the point of trying to move up the vote?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:42am

    Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    You sure make a lot of threats about reporting people to the police for Techdirt posts. They never seem to come to anything, which suggests either you never actually do it, or you do and the police don't take you seriously.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:43am

    Re: Re: Re: Abolish Copyright

    We have that becuase your people like to bribe.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:50am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Fuck them all.

    Lol you think some bored guy who has no name becuase it got taken by the gov when he joined some alphabet agency who just files everything away cares about some guy saying stuff like that for the thousand and one time like everyone else in the net mr exec with no music talent? Quit wasting everyone’s time from morning to bed.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. identicon
    Rocky, 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:55am

    Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    The thing is about a tantrum, is that the one throwing it is unreasonable and lashes out at everyone.

    Seems that description fits you nicely

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 5 Mar 2019 @ 11:10am

    Re: Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    Perhaps they have a fetish for making public displays of impotence?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  25. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 11:14am

    Re: Re: Fuck them all.

    Why isn't it? They're clearly enemies of mankind, on the same level of Republicans, Nazis, Serial killers, rapists, Pedophiles and warmongers! They are a threat to everything and everyone we care about! They are the enemy and we can't treat them like human beings as long as they're the enemy!

    Every time I hear about the moral depravity of all of this, I’m tempted to go into the diatribe that Tommy Lee Jones' character, Thaddeus Stevens, gives in the movie Lincoln

    “How can I hold that all men are created equal when here before me stands, stinking, the moral carcass of the European People Party? Proof that some men ARE inferior, endowed by their maker with dim wits, impermeable to reason, with cold, pallid slime in their veins instead of hot, red blood! YOU are more reptile than man, Axel Voss, so low and flat that the foot of man is incapable of crushing you!”

    link to this | view in thread ]

  26. icon
    ECA (profile), 5 Mar 2019 @ 12:41pm

    Is there not reality??

    For all the BS,
    For all the lies..
    For all the money being thrown at those responsible to get this done..

    This is as bad as in the USA..Close your eyes, dont pay attention, dont listen or hear those you are responsible for, DONT ask those that HIRED you...what they want or think..

    These are public officials, its TIME to open up their bank accounts..and peek at who is paying Whom...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  27. icon
    Toom1275 (profile), 5 Mar 2019 @ 1:07pm

    Re: Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    Probably the kind of guy that the justice system is already very familiar with.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  28. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 1:59pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Fuck them all.

    Oh like investigate reports that never happened or like police investigations that never happened. Do tell bro.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  29. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 2:01pm

    Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    “This tantrum is epic.”

    Can we call you IMAX. Cause that’s the level of projection ou are currently at.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  30. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 2:02pm

    Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    Do it you little bitch.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  31. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 2:29pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    Yes, because civil servants risk their jobs by showing bias against individuals.

    I've seen multiple posts here calling for illegal acts against elected officials.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  32. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 2:29pm

    Re: Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    Way ahead of you.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  33. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 3:15pm

    They are scared and they know it. But they will stop at nothing until the net is ensnared completely by the corporations.

    The time to be civil about this has long since passed I'm afraid.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  34. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 4:27pm

    Re:

    So are you gonna cry or threaten this time? You sure seem to vacillate between those two options. And since all of your tears and threats are as impotent as you are, why do you expect the outcome will be something other than amused contempt?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  35. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 5 Mar 2019 @ 4:28pm

    Re: Suuuurrreeee you are 😉

    By the way how are all 17 police investigations going bro?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  36. icon
    Federico (profile), 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:47pm

    Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    The promoters of the directive know that it's impopular, but need to trick their fellow MEPs to vote it anyway by downplaying the risks. So they try to get their votes before it's too late...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  37. icon
    Federico (profile), 5 Mar 2019 @ 10:49pm

    Golden for communication

    The European Parliament media team must be livid: after spending millions on election-related social ads and destroying their credibility with the "dragon mob" article, a single letter by Weber was enough to gift Reda with a tweet twice as successful as their most successful tweet of an entire year (almost 10k RT, 300k views for the video).

    link to this | view in thread ]

  38. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Mar 2019 @ 12:51am

    Re: Re:

    Well you sure seem to have it all figured out.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  39. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Mar 2019 @ 12:52am

    Re: Re: Suuuurrreeee you are 😉

    If I revealed what was going on people here would go ballistic. No need for the drama.

    The bad actors know who they are. They're being dealt with. The remainder I really couldn't care less about.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  40. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Mar 2019 @ 12:53am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    That would be all the pirate-sympathizers who think they can stop Article 13.

    At the end of the day, the copyright maximalists win, so have fun whining.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  41. icon
    Stephen T. Stone (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 3:23am

    The bad actors know who they are. They're being dealt with.

    Your impotence is showing, bro.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  42. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 5:05am

    Re:

    "You'd think that a law that supposedly has so much support wouldn't need to pull this sort of extrajudicial bullshit..."

    Anyone remember the ACTA treaty where the commission tried to fly the final vote in during the last minutes of a session dealing with north sea cod fishing quota?

    Or where the shadow rapporteur on ACTA quit in protest over what he openly called the worst and most consistently fraudulent practice he'd been exposed to in his 20+ years in politics?

    In the EU any legislation dealing with copyright has very consistently been kept alive and pushed with every dirty trick in the book, no few of them in direct violation of the EU charter.
    Demanding that EU MEP's vote without being allowed to read the full document. Allowing MEP's to read only under conditions of absolute secrecy (directly illegal). Withholding information about the treaty from MEP direct queries (also directly illegal).

    The list goes on. If anything Article 11 and 13 haven't even hit the shallow end of the pool of the malfeasance usually observed in such legislation.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  43. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Mar 2019 @ 5:21am

    Re: Re: Abolish Copyright

    Good luck with that LOL

    That's what they said about slavery too.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  44. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 7:03am

    Re: Re: Re: Abolish Copyright

    "Posts like this are why we have Article 13 now."

    The same way the words "That automobile thing looks nice" caused the Red Flag Act.

    Desperate lobbying for insane legislation in order to protect bad business models don't last.

    But hey, I'm all for article 13 in a sense - after implementing it there'll be plenty of reason for artists and creators to start dismantling copyright law.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  45. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 7:16am

    Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    "As I noted before, it's like they are trying to get people to break out the torches and pitchforks."

    ...and when you consider that the very same thing happened when their shenanigans around ACTA went out of control, you sort of have to wonder just how deeply the EU bureaucrats despise the errant herd of sheep they consider the voting citizenry to be.

    I think the key issue here is that since they weren't drawn and quartered the first time around they've guessed that no matter how low they go it's not as if they'll encounter any career difficulties, let alone criminal prosecutions over consistently lying to the public in open forums.

    Historically speaking the torches and pitchforks usually emerge once the ruling elite, encouraged by several times of getting away with it, finally fuck up just that one time too many.

    The end of the british empire was quick, but came at the end of the Indian Common Salt Tax, the US Tea Tax, and assorted other patronizing shenanigans in the colonies.

    The EU isn't going to survive for long, given that the leadership consists of patronizing douchebags all sharing the control-freak mentality of every previous would-be european "unifier". While having all the hallmarks of progressive liberalism of a vintage 1960 soviet politburo.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  46. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 7:22am

    Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    "Pirates are protesting, as they did with SOPA, but this time no one's fooled."

    Wait, so ACTA and SOPA passed? Why does no one tell me these things?

    And that aside, "pirates" aren't protesting article 13 so much. Article 13 is a disaster for legal businesses and copyright holders...
    ...but any fucks given from the side of those of us opposed to copyright will be because of misplaced sympathy over the authors and creators who will be left without any practical access to self-publish.

    Since article 13 isn't able to do a damn thing against piracy or in favor of copyright enforcement the only reason I'm not swinging a banner in favor of article 13 is because I still have a shred of pity left for the people who legitimately try to make a living on their art without being public douchebags about it.

    But hey, baghdad Bob - or blue/bobmail/whatever you want to call yourself this particular minute - as usual don't let factual reality stop your hate-boner from dreaming.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  47. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 7:34am

    Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    "No, they're not, but people planning to riot might find their internet posts used against them in a court of law."

    "planning to riot"...says a lot that in your twisted mind the peaceful demonstrations against article 13 turn into riots. Almost at the level where, when people call you out on being a liar for, you know, presenting demonstrably falsehoods, you wax pompously about bringing the weight of the FBI down on our us for "cyber-bullying".

    You know, Baghdad bob, I still hope you have a hat out somewhere, because I'd feel truly awful if such a persistent clown as you didn't get at least a few pennies tossed his way in sympathy.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  48. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 7:39am

    Re: Re: Re: Suuuurrreeee you are 😉

    "If I revealed what was going on people here would go ballistic. No need for the drama."

    The same way you used to threaten everyone with FBI attention back on TorrentFreak whenever someone pointed out that your repetitive rants weren't just untruthful but also slanderous and in not a few cases, delusional?

    That makes quite a lot of years that we've heard about the pending investigation you've called down on us benighted heathens, and so far i don't think any one of us has so much as gotten a single call from an officer telling us to stop being so mean to you when you lie.

    This being the case, and particularly in the background of your previous history on this matter, I may have to point out to you that if you are hearing voices in your head you would be advised to take what they are saying with a grain of salt.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  49. icon
    Thad (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 7:47am

    Re: Re: Re: Abolish Copyright

    Ah yes, Jefferson Davis's famous Good Luck With That LOL Address.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  50. icon
    Draph91 (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 8:36am

    another update

    https://twitter.com/Senficon/status/1103326085922648064

    apparently there won't be a vote next week at all

    link to this | view in thread ]

  51. identicon
    TFG, 6 Mar 2019 @ 10:12am

    Re: Re: Re: Suuuurrreeee you are 😉

    If I revealed what was going on people here would go ballistic. No need for the drama.

    Translation: "I'm lying out my ass and there is literally nothing going on."

    link to this | view in thread ]

  52. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 6 Mar 2019 @ 1:58pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Suuuurrreeee you are 😉

    You're telling me they have a history of making bullshit claims and impotent threats on sites other than TD and getting mocked as a result there too?

    ... Yeah, that seems entirely within character for them, and just adds weight to the idea that they have a persecution complex, a fetish for public displays of impotence, and/or a humiliation fetish. I've seen stranger to be sure, just seems odd that they'd choose non-fetish sites like TorrentFreak and TD to scratch that particular itch if so, but hey, takes all kinds of crazy people I guess.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  53. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Mar 2019 @ 6:06pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: 'Well, guess we'll just go home then...'

    How's that Fox Rothschild defense fund coming along, bro?

    link to this | view in thread ]


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