[NetBehaviour] Lecturer censored in Spanish University (UPV) for defending P2P networks

[marc]

*Lecturer censored in Spanish University (UPV) for defending P2P networks*
Date Created: 20 May, 2005, 09:15 AM

[Upon the request of various foreign media that would like to cover this 
story, and would like a link to the source in English, here is a recap 
of my ordeal]

This what happened to me when trying to defend the legal use of P2P 
networks in Spain.

I have been teaching "Intellectual Property" (although I dislike the 
term) among other subjects at a Masters Degree in the Polytechnic 
University of Valencia UPV (Spain) for over 5 years. Two weeks ago I was 
scheduled (invited by the ETSIA Student Union and Linux Users' Group for 
the celebration of "Culture Week") to give a conference in one of the 
university's buildings. During that conference I was to analyze the 
legal use and benefits of the P2P networks, even when dealing with 
copyrighted works (according to the Spanish Intellectual Property Law, 
Private Copy provision, and many research papers, books and court 
rulings). I was even going to use the network to "prove" that it was 
legal, since members of the Collecting Society "SGAE" had appeared on TV 
and newspapers saying that "P2P networks are ilegal" (sic) just like 
that, and to that extent I even contacted SGAE, National Police, and the 
Attorney General in advance to inform them about it.

The day before the conference, the Dean (pressured by the Spanish 
Recording Industry Association "Promusicae" as I found out later, and he 
recognized himself in a quote to the national newspaper El Pais, and 
even the Motion Picture Association of America, as another newspaper 
quotes) tried to stop it by denying permission to use the scheduled 
venue. So I scheduled a second one, and that was denied again. And a 
third time. Finally I gave the conference on the university cafeteria, 
for 5 hours, in front of 150 people.

Later on that day (May 4th, I will never forget), I received a call from 
the Director of the Masters Degree Program where I was teaching telling 
me that the Dean had called and had asked him to "make sure I did not 
teach there again", and on a second call saying "it's your choice, but 
also your responsibility".

more...

http://homepage.mac.com/jorgecortell/blogwavestudio/LH20041209105106/LHA20050520091532/index.html 

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