Internet Companies Voice Alarm over Italian Law

Internet companies and civil liberty activists are concerned about a proposed new Italian law that “would make online service providers responsible for their audiovisual content and copyright infringements by users, an article from the Reuters wire stated. The EU Commission might "open an investigation into the decree for infringing EU norms" if the law is passed. The draft legislation has also raised concerns from Italian groups dedicated to freedom of speech.
Further, the new decree could postpone the development of the web even further in a country that already significantly lags behind other Western European nations in terms of Internet usage. As an example, "Only around 10% of Italians buy online compared with around 55% of Britons and Germans," the articles stated.

from the ARMA International International Policy Brief, February 2010
Full International Policy Brief