On 4 June 2020, the Intellectual Property Council’s Copyright and Related Rights Section adopted an opinion on a Government Bill modifying Book XVII “Bijzondere rechtsprocedures” (Dutch) / “Procédures juridictionnelles particulières ” (French), meaning “extraordinary legal procedures”, of the Code of Economic Law and the Judicial Code concerning the fight against breaches of copyright and related rights.
The establishment of the new procedure that is set up by this Government Bill intends to curb large-scale online infringements of copyright, related rights and the sui generis right of database producers. The new procedure will enable us to put a stop to these infringements faster, more efficiently and in a sustainable way.
The Council for Intellectual Property was thoroughly consulted on this matter. The Council’s meetings took place on 8 February 2018, 18 April 2018, 29 May 2018, and 10 December 2019. The opinion was adopted by the Council on 4 June 2020 (via videoconference). Representatives of the Internet service providers, of the FPS Justice and an external expert on judicial law were also invited to attend these meetings.
Every new provision that is introduced, is discussed separately. The provision is briefly explained, followed by a discussion within the Council. The annexes of the opinion comprise the Draft Bill and the draft explanatory memorandum (as shared with the members of the Council on 20 May 2020).
