EFF Tackles New Role in Europe

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Monday, February 05, 2007

Contact:

Danny O'Brien
   Activism Coordinator
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   danny@eff.org
   +1 415 436-9333 x121

Gwen Hinze
   International Affairs Director
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   gwen@eff.org
   +1 415 436-9333 x110 (office)


EFF Tackles New Role in Europe

EFF Europe Office Opens in Brussels

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
opened a new office in Brussels today to work with various
institutions of the European Union (EU) on innovation and
digital rights, acting as a watchdog for the public
interest in intellectual property and civil liberties
policy initiatives that impact the European digital
environment.

The new EFF Europe office, made possible by the generous
support of the Open Society Institute and Mr. Mark
Shuttleworth of the Shuttleworth Foundation, will allow EFF
to have an increased focus on the development of EU law.
EFF also plans to expand its efforts in European digital
activism and looks forward to working with many groups and
organizations to fight effectively for consumers' and
technologists' interests.   EFF's new European Affairs
Coordinator, Erik Josefsson, will be an on-the-ground
analyst, activist, and educator about critical intellectual
property and civil liberties issues.

"In a networked world, protecting innovation and digital
rights must be a global effort," Josefsson said.  "We hope
this new office in Brussels will increase awareness of
European developments and enrich the policy debate."

Josefsson was previously the president of the Swedish
chapter of Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure
(FFII.se).  FFII was instrumental in defeating the proposed
Software Patents Directive, which would have brought an
expanded software patent scheme to Europe.  Josefsson has
also worked with European Digital Rights (EDRI) and other
European groups in fighting against the European
Parliament's adoption of the Data Retention Directive,
which threatens to undo the existing pro-consumer privacy
protections in Europe.  In recent months, Josefsson has
been part of a team of committed FFII activists opposing
the proposed second Intellectual Property Rights
Enforcement Directive (IPRED2), which will impose harsh
criminal sanctions and prison terms for violation of
intellectual property rights, stifling technical innovation
and imperiling consumers if not amended.

"Europe is at the forefront of policy developments that
threaten Internet users' freedom, from unwarranted
copyright term extension to mandatory data retention," said
EFF International Affairs Director Gwen Hinze.  "We welcome
the valuable European educational and activism expertise
that Erik brings to EFF Europe, and we are excited about
this new opportunity to represent the public interest in
the formative stages of European policy development."

Josefsson will be supported in EFF's San Francisco office
by Danny O'Brien, EFF's Activism Coordinator, whose past
experience includes digital rights work in the United
Kingdom.  Josefsson will be succeeded as president of FFII
Sweden by Jonas Bosson, who was one of the founders of the
organization and will continue to fight new attempts to
make software patents enforceable in Europe.

For more on EFF Europe:
http://www.eff.org/global/europe/

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2007_02.php#005111

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/


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