[Discussioni] [Fwd: [IP-Enforce] Fourtou herself earned millions from media industry]

Gio 3 Giu 2004 11:50:52 CEST

parzialmente OT, ma serve a far capire come certi conflitti di interesse
non sono solo un fenomeno italiano :(

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Andreas Dietl <andreas a fipr.org>
To: ip-enforce <ip-enforce a ipjustice.org>
Subject: [IP-Enforce] Fourtou herself earned millions from media industry
Date: Wed, 02 Jun 2004 12:24:07 +0200

Partly edited machine translation of 
http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/2004/0601/wirtschaft/0006/index.html. 
If anyone can get access to the referenced FT Article, please let me 
know / send it to me (must be either 
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1084907845870
or 
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1084907826813
or 
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1084907887533
)

Date:       01.06.2004
Department:       Economics
Author:       Thomas's H. Wendel
Page:       11

EURO NEPOTISM
The interests of madame Fourtou
As a Euro delegate, the wife of the CEO of media company Vivendi 
Universal hunts music copiers - not entirely unselfishly

The Europe Parlamentian does not allow doubts to be risen about her 
integrity: "Rien à déclarer" - nothing to declare, wrote Janelly Fourtou 
several times as an answer to a questionnaire in which European Union 
delegates have to lay their personal financial interests and vocational 
obligations open.

Quick results

The 65-year-old politician from France, a member of the conservative 
People's Party parliamentary group, also issued herself a certificate of 
non-objection when she took her so far most influential post in the 
European Parliament (EP): that of the so-called Rapporteur for a new 
European Union Directive, which is to provide for a Europe-wide harder 
punishment of copyright violators. As the EP's chief negotiator on this 
issue, Fourtou obtained results amazingly fast: On 9 March the 
Strasbourg parliament approved of the Directive, which was drafted by 
the European Commission but considerably footprinted by Fourtou in a 
striking jerk procedure. The law, which the European Union states must 
now transpose into national right, passed the Euro Parliament already in 
first reading.

But there are particular other resons why 9 March could become a 
memorable date: Because Madame Fourtou is hardly as independent as she 
presents herself. The Parlamentarian is not only wife of Jean René 
Fourtou, the CEO of Paris-based media company Vivendi Universal. As it 
turned out in May, she is also linked to Vivend by financial 
transactions: Already in November 2002, the shared private fund of the 
Fourtou couple acquired convertible bonds of Vivendi worth 14.5 million 
euro, which are to be converted in 2005 under advantage conditions into 
shares of the company, now reported the London newspaper Financial 
Times. In addition, the children of the couple have drawn additional 
loans worth altogether five million euro.

With the present quotation of the Vivendi share more than 21 euro, the 
Fourtou donation has already obtained a computational profit of ten 
million euro, according to a calcualtion by Berliner Zeitung; the 
Fourtou children may book a plus of 3.4 million euro - and Strasbourg 
faces a new nepotism scandal.

First doubts about the independence of the Rapporteur arose already last 
year. Experts criticized that Fourtou calls to a dragnet hunt for those 
users of digital music and film files who wanted no more than to enact 
their right to a private copy. The new European Union Directive, critics 
said, threatens to stamp copying of copyright-protected works a heavy 
criminal offence - independently of the fact whether someone only copies 
for internal use or operates a prosperous trade with thousands of copies.

---end of edited section---

Considerably in front the reorganization driven from Fourtou provides a 
new and extremely sharp equipment for the owners of copyrights - under 
it above all large music and film production companies such as Vivendi 
universal -, in order to proceed against genuine and alleged right 
offences. Thus the guideline plans about that companies can come also 
without pedantic criminal law procedures to sensitive data of those 
citizens near, who are suspected of illegal copying. Even house searches 
and account seizing with juvenile users of InterNet music exchange stock 
exchanges, believe citizen right combinations, soon hardly somewhat to 
more in the way would stand.

In order to come at data near, medium companies are to receive even the 
right to query user information with InterNet entrance offerers such as 
T-Online or AOL. By a formulation trick, argwoehnen expert, it is 
besides ensured that even the patenting bar of computer often commodity, 
rejected recently by the European parliament, becomes over the detour of 
the new guideline reality. A copyright war was plotted thereby in the 
European Union, in which the wife of the Vivendi boss was allowed to act 
as "goat" a made the gardener, grumbled the InterNet service heise.de ruede.

The parliament work Fourtous has already a sequel. The CO boss of the 
Green parliamentary group in the EP, Daniel Cohn Bendit, speaks of an 
interest conflict and weighted with parliament president Patrick Cox. 
"actually Mrs. Fourtou has might become at all not Berichterstatterin", 
said the green euro-delegate heath Ruehle of the citizens of Berlin 
newspaper.

Janelly Fourtou rejected such reproaching so far left. It is amused over 
it that one accused it briefly after the woman day, "in the shade of my 
man to stand", explained it in March. There however yet the speech from 
the millions, which were put on by the donation of the Fourtous in 
Vivendi papers, was not. On an appropriate written request of the 
citizens of Berlin newspaper madame Fourtou did not want to answer. It 
would not have in the middle in the European election campaign time for 
it, was called it from their Brussels offices.

-----------------------------

Numerous delegates part-time works exercise LOBBY WORKER// in the 
European parliament. As a particularly influential lobbyist the German 
parliamentarian Elmar Brok is considered. The CDU man sits already since 
more than a quarter century in the Strassburger and Brussels plenary 
assembly halls.

Elmar Brok is active thereby in the additional occupation for years for 
the Bertelsmann company. The criticism adheres nevertheless to this dual 
function also with political opponents within borders. Brok makes its 
interest conflicts always clear and contains with tunings to law 
collecting mains, which concern the medium industry, of its voice, it is 
said.

In the case of Janelly Fourtou behaves it however differently. The wife 
of the Vivendi universal boss Jean René Fourtou, which stands as a 
candidate again with the European elections on 13 June for a deputy seat 
in Strasbourg, is considered officially as independent. It does not 
receive finally from the medium company of its man direct allowances.

This estimate could change itself however. Finally the common donation 
of it and their man put on several million euro in a Vivendi conversion 
loan. With the profits from the donation capital humanitarian projects 
and culture exchange programs for artists are to be supported.

-----------------------------

Photo: "I find it amusingly that one accuses me of, in the shade of my 
man to stand." Janelly Fourtou, European delegate

-----------------------------

Photo: Many flags, little transparency: The European parliament in 
Strasbourg adopted an intensified European Union guideline in March to 
the fight against copyright violators - much for the joy of the film and 
music industry.

-----------------------------

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