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Title

Unlikely Heroes

Description

<img src="{att_link}bundesrat_der_schweiz_2011-h25p-4edd055-intro-thumb-640xauto-28285.jpg" align="center" class="frame" caption="Swiss Bundesrat 2011"> To the joy of the technically literate everywhere---and those interested in the rights of citizens to some form of cultural commons---the Swiss Bundesrat (pictured above) have emerged as unlikely heroes for their recent confirmation that <a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/12/swiss-government-file-sharing-no-big-deal-some-downloading-still-ok.ars" source="Ars Technica" author="Timothy B. Lee">file-sharing no big deal, some downloading still OK</a>. <bq>A new report by the Swiss government argues that unauthorized file sharing is not a significant problem, and that existing Swiss law—which allows for downloading copyrighted content for personal use—is sufficient to protect copyright holders. It considers and rejects three proposed changes: a French-style "three strikes" law, Internet filtering, and a mandatory collective licensing regime that would impose a fee on all Internet users that allowed unlimited file-sharing.</bq> Unsurprisingly, the Swiss decided not to change anything and, for a change, that's a good thing. It's refreshing to see a government that does a study and tests the hypotheses offered by proponents of new policy rather than just enacts whatever the highest bidder and squeakiest wheel wants.