Facebook, eBay, Yahoo! and Google, four of the world's leading internet companies, have called on UK Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson to remove a controversial clause from the Digital Economy Bill currently being debated in parliament.
While the companies support the overall aims of the Digital Economy Bill, introduced last month, they have written to Mandelson to express concern over clause 17 of the bill, which they warn will give future Secretaries of State sweeping powers to amend the Copyright, Design and Patent Act, and will pave the way for the government to use "arbitrary measures".
"This power could be used, for example, to introduce additional technical measures or increase monitoring of user data even where no illegal practice has taken place," the letter, signed by the companies' senior management, states.
"This would discourage innovation, impose unnecessary costs, potentially unsettling the careful balance of responsibilities for enabling market change which Lord Carter outlined in the Digital Britain report," the letter continues.
Published in June, the Digital Britain Report sets out a strategic vision for ensuring that the UK is at the leading edge of the global digital economy, and led to the introduction of the Digital Economy Bill in parliament.
However, the four companies say that clause 17 "is so wide that it could put at risk legitimate consumer use of current technology as well as future developments".
"We all acknowledge that new business models need to emerge to support creative content. They are inherently risky and entrepreneurs rely heavily on there being a consistent and stable approach to copyright enforcement. This clause would inject an unprecedented level of uncertainty in this regard," the companies argue in the letter.
"The industry as a whole had hoped that the outcome of Digital Britain would be a clear, workable set of principles by which the industry could operate. On the contrary, Clause 17 creates uncertainty for consumers and businesses and puts at risk the UK's leading position in a digital Europe," the letter adds, concluding:
"We urge you to remove Clause 17 from the bill."
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