Professor Jukka Kemppinen feels that the separate preamble authorising limited personal home copying is insufficient. In an interview with the Finnish News Agency on Thursday, he also says that the proposed legislation is so complicated that Members of Parliament are not likely to understand its implications. He points out that not even all experienced jurists are sure how the law should be applied.
However, he also does not feel that making alterations to the body of the bill would have saved it.
In Kemppainen's view, the bill would set up bureaucratic obstacles to trade, and hurt Finnish competitiveness. Consequently, he thinks that it should be completely rewritten. He recommends that Parliament urge the Government to begin a comprehensive reform of copyright legislation in Finland.
According to the Digitoday.fi internet publication, Kemppainen gave expert testimony in connection with the preparation of the bill.
Meanwhile, the Finnish Consumer Agency is urging the government to monitor implementation of the proposed law to make sure that the possibility of private copying will remain when the new law comes into force.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the agency said that the law should not impose unnecessary obstacles for the use of legally-acquired copyrighted material. According to the agency, it is normal practice for consumers to make a few copies of CDs or DVDs for personal use.