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THE JUNIOR MINISTER preparing a controversial new Statutory Instrument dealing with online copyright protection has said he is open to holding a Dáil debate on the issue.
The junior minister responsible for innovation, Seán Sherlock, told Newstalk’s Lunchtime Show that he hoped to have time allocated in the Dáil to discuss his planned legislation, which can be enacted without the approval of the Dáil or Seanad.
“It will be debated, hopefully at some stage in the next 24 hours,” Sherlock said.
The furore over the legislation – which has prompted an online petition which has been signed by almost 33,000 people since it was launched on Monday evening – was raised in the Dáil this morning by independent TD Stephen Donnelly.
Government chief whip Paul Kehoe said that he was prepared to facilitate a debate on the matter, but that today’s Dáil schedule had already been arranged.
Sherlock also said he would speak to TJ McIntyre of Digital Rights Ireland – who has helped to organise the ‘Stop SOPA Ireland’ petition – and any other interested parties who had an interest in the legislation.
Sherlock insisted that it was not his intention to block access to certain websites, acknowledging that blocked websites could simply re-emerge at a different web address.
He said the government did not wish to “legislate in a way that is overtly prescriptive”, insisting it did “not want to limit people’s freedoms.”
“Why would we limit the freedoms of the internet? It would be absolutely folly and crazy to do that… It’s a balancing act. You balance the right of the copyright holder with the right of the person to use the internet.”
The minister said the purpose of the legislation was to keep “on side of” the EU’s directives on copyright and e-commerce, which had already guaranteed the rights of individual users to use the internet and of Internet Service Providers to conduct a business.
If a judge comes along and if somebody seeks to have an injunction, the judge has to bear in mind that there’s already a judgement there … which clearly states that you cannot put a blocking mechanism or start monitoring an individual’s behaviour.
He was referring to the ruling of the European Court of Justice in the Scarlet case, where the court found it was illegal for countries to force internet providers to block filesharing on a blanket basis at their own expense.
In that case, a Belgian internet provider successfully claimed that an injunction laid down by a Belgian court – which forced it to install expensive filters and monitor all traffic through its network – was an unfair infringement of its freedom to conduct its business.
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You couldn’t imagine how the world could let this happen??? Neither can I Nadia…..
@Nora McElhinney: Not taking away the fact from your comment Nora but you do realise there is a lunatic in Russia with the power to destroy the world as we know it.
I can’t belive that Ireland is not helping Ukrainians leave Ukraine or around the western borders. I can’t believe that all the charities raking in donations are not here on the border helping women and children. I can’t belive the Irish government expect Ukrainians to walk to Ireland. There’s a lot of things I can’t believe about Irelands response to the Ukrainian refugees, the trafficking at the borders, kidnapping of women and children. I so happy you got to Ireland Nadia. Please tell the story of the hell on the borders and the lack of help Ukrainians are getting down here from Ireland.
@Joby Redmond: what have you done? Have you taken in a refugee? Are you going over to fight? You can if you volunteer. Stop pretending to care.
@John Moloney: actually, I think Joby is on the ground in Poland doing everything that he can for the refugees. From what I’ve seen online anyway.
@John Moloney: Did it ever enter your head that there are people on here that genuinely care, and are involved in whatever capacity they can. Say something positive for a change.
@Colleen: has he taken one in? NO. End of. Its a great time to appear as a good person online. Everyone doing nothing is doing it. It’s utter nonsense. Supporting arms being sent to ukraine for a war they will never win, what is the final outcome people want here? People need to be realistic, it is terrible, Putin is a disgrace but the reality is that prolonging a war and while asking people to help the refugees it creates is like throwing more petrol than water on the fire.
@John Moloney: John. There are a lot of people like you online and we have Claire and Mick mouthing off about supporting the war against Russia and I am always interested in hearing what exactly they and you are actually proposing. I would really appreciate a genuine reply without resorting to half insults and popular tag lines and tell me what it is you are suggesting the people of Ukraine should have done when Russia invaded. Just tell us what you would do if you were a Ukrainian citizen in ukraine right now and what would you be asking your country’s leaders to do? Genuine question and I will respect your answer whatever it is.
@John Moloney: did ireland lie down and die once the British came? No we didn’t, and neither will the Ukrainians, and as most of them are consistently saying, they will not stop until every Russian soldier is ridden from their country. They’ve asked for weapons to fight back, not to prolong, and we should listen as we would hope for the same good forbid it ever happened to us.
We were neutral on Hitler and neutral on Putin
Things have to change militarily
@John Byrne: neutral with Hilter as a country, yet 100,000 Irish people went to the UK and volunteered
@John Byrne: Are you daft we are not and never will be in a position to be a military power. Neutrality is the most common sense weapon we have. Decades of proper politicians realised this but the shower we have at the moment are only interested in soundbites and being the good little boys of Europe. By all means help in any non military way we can but other than that we are in no position to help militarily
@John Byrne: go over and join the war. Nothing stopping you.
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