Internet Users Association

The Asociación de Internautas is a non-profit association created in Spain on October 10, 1998 from various organizations (Fronteras Electrónicas-FrEE, Grupo Tarifa Plana, Plataforma La Huelga, Plataforma Flat Rate) in order to claim a universal and affordable flat rate for the basic telephone network for communications over the Internet or any other network with similar characteristics, existing or that may be created in the future.

The association was chaired from its foundation until June 11, 2019 by Víctor Domingo Prieto, the day he died.

Purposes

By the Bylaws, the purposes of the Internet Users Association are:

• Its main purpose is the defense, information and education of users and consumers of telephone and telematic communications, as they constitute services of common, ordinary and widespread use (common use).
• Ensuring that the public authorities comply with the task assigned to them by article 51 of the Spanish Constitution, assisting them in matters that may affect consumers and users.
• In particular, encourage the establishment of a flat rate for communications via the Internet or any other network of similar features, existing or that can be created in the future.

To carry out these purposes, the Internet Users Association has promoted various actions, alone or in the company of other associations.

Activities

• Since its creation, it defended the flat rate for Internet connections.

• It has regularly organized campaigns Security in the Network in collaboration with IT security companies such as Panda Software, telecommunications as Telefónica de España and with public administration agencies.

• It has a legal advice, the Ombudsmanopen to legal inquiries and doubts, via e-mail, of Internet users and telecommunications users.

• It has opposed paragraph 17 bis of the LISI (Information Society Impulse Act).

• Since the end of 2007 he has participated very actively and jointly with the Association of Internet Users, AETIC, CC.OOO., Hispalinux and other organizations through the All Against Canon platform, trying to achieve the revocation of the rate imposed on the recording media and digital media in Spain, known as the digital canon. The Senate approved the revocation, but in its return to the Congress of Deputies the proposal was definitely rejected.

• On May 24, 2009, he held a rally at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Madrid in defense of the independence and neutrality of the network, supported by several groups, organizations and prominent people of the internet world: Association of Internet Users, the Comfia - CC.OOO.

SGAE and Internet Users Association

In 2005, she was sentenced for unlawful interference with the fundamental right to honor of the SGAE and the president of its board of directors, Eduardo Bautista García. Before said sentence, an Appeal of Cassation was presented, accepted for processing on December 10, 2007, an appeal that was rejected by said instance in a judgment of November 10, 2009, confirming the sentence to compensation of 18,000 euros both to the SGAE and Eduardo Bautista García (better known as Teddy Bautista), as well as the payment of legal costs.

On the other hand, on June 29, 2011, the news came to light that the National Court was criminally investigating the SGAE for misappropriation of funds. On July 1, 2011, one day after the elections of the new Board of Directors of the SGAE, the Civil Guard searched several headquarters of the Company as well as 17 private homes within the framework of the operation 'Saga' of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and arrested the then president, Teddy Bautista, and eight other members of the SGAE, including José Neri (general director of SDAE), who are accused of misappropriation, falsification of documents and diversion of funds (some 400 million euros that they would have obtained thanks to the digital canon). These alleged crimes were committed by the Digital Society of Authors and Publishers (SDAE), which depends on the SGAE. The National Court also authorized the seizure and blocking of various accounts of those responsible for the SGAE.

The investigation is produced as a result of a November 2007 lawsuit prepared by Lawyer Ofelia Tejerina, for the Internet Users Association, which had the express support of the Internet Users Association, the Spanish Association of Small and Medium-sized Information Technology and New Technologies Companies (APEMIT) and the Spanish Association of Hoteliers Victims of the Canon (VACHE).

Two days later, the Internet Users Association once again called for the resignation of the Minister of Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde for not having taken responsibility for "auditing and supervising the accounts" of the SGAE and be a "judge and party" in the process. For its part, the SGAE announced that it will take the appropriate legal measures if it is shown that the entity has suffered any harm from the SDAE.

Finally, on July 12, 2011, Bautista submitted his resignation as president of the SGAE.