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Contents of today's ICOMP newsletter: 
Minister Zypries already last month indicated that she would take the book settlement seriously, describing Google's actions as "an infringement of the law and unacceptable." Zypries and other political figures threw their support behind the Heidelberger Appeal for Freedom of Publication and the Protection of IPR, which is seen by many as having brought the issue to light in Germany in recent weeks. Momentum has been further strengthened by an open letter written by the renowned German publisher and president of the Magazine Publishers Association, Hubert Burda. He argues for the need to devise a new model to protect copyright and ensure that authors receive a fair share of the profits generated by search engines through making copyright owners’ content available online. Germany's Minister of State for Culture and Media, Bernd Neumann, joined the ranks of prominent critics by bringing the Google Book Settlement to the table of the European Council of Ministers in May. He has labelled Google’s methods as "problematic not only in terms of the legal aspects, but also from a culture and media policy perspective." The ministers in turn support a joint European approach to respond to Google’s behaviour which contradicts the European concept of copyright, which requires the copyright holder’s consent prior to the digital usage of their work. A new government will be formed following the German federal elections in late September, and the effective protection of copyright online will form a major point on its political agenda. Minister Zypries has already clearly stated that the Google Book Settlement demonstrates the need for a strong body of copyright law and the necessity of new solutions. A new European Parliament takes office: New opportunities for industry alliances
The European People's Party (EPP) remains the major force at the European Parliament (with 266 seats), followed by the Socialists & Democrats (184 seats), the Liberals (84 seats), the Greens (55 seats) and the newly formed anti-federalist group, the European Conservatives and Reformists (54 seats). Only around 50 percent of MEPs were re-elected, which means a considerable breath of fresh air has entered the Parliament creating space for new, innovative agendas.
ICOMP will actively reach out to the new EU legislators to ensure the development of a healthy and competitive online marketplace is taken into account in the making of the new working plan of the European Parliament
A lively panel discussion included representatives from Tuenti, the successful Spanish invitation-only private social networking website that is sometimes referred to as the "Spanish Facebook"; Portal Cultural Dosdoce, a website specialising in marketing strategies for the cultural and publishing sector, and Microsoft. Javier Celaya, founder of Portal Cultural Dosdoce, a member of ICOMP, and author of the book "La empresa en la web 2.0" in his presentation expressed a general concern of the audience that "Leading companies in each industry sector, precisely because they are leaders, should strive to be the most transparent in the field."
Conference materials, pictures and media coverage will be made available on the new Spanish-language sub-site of the ICOMP website shortly.
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Last week, the new European Parliament held its constituting plenary session in Strasbourg. Jerzy Buzek, the first politician from one of Europe´s former communist countries to lead an EU Institution, was elected President of the Parliament for the first half of the legislative term. Chairs, Vice-Chairs and members of most of the committees were also elected. The Civil Liberties Committee for example, which deals with many of the issues that are important for ICOMP will be chaired by the former Spanish Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar from the Socialists & Democrat group. 
The event provided a unique opportunity for all participants to voice their interests and objectives in the online marketplace, and it paved the way for strategic cooperation within the advertising and marketing industry in the future.
