Web pirate attacks Berlusconi
By Lisbeth Kirk
The Italian premier and new head of the European Union, Silvio Berlusconi, has come under direct attack from a web-pirate.
Wouter Coppens, a 23-year old Flemish law student from Ghent in Belgium registered 'eu2003.it', what would have been the address of the Italian EU presidency one and a half years ago and has now used it as a platform to mock the Italian prime minister.
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The anti-Berlusconi website was coincidentally launched at the same time as the Italian media-magnate raised a storm in the European Parliament by comparing a German MEP to a Nazi concentration camp guard.
The webpage, boasting a photo of a smiling Mr Berlusconi asks the question: "Will this be the hope and future of the Union?"
Mr Coppens told the EUobserver.com that he holds the right to the web address 'EU2003.it' and that he intends to use it for anti-Berlusconi purposes.
"I do not think Mr Berlusconi is a real democrat. I think he is already bad for Italy and will perhaps be bad for the European Union, by now becoming its president", Mr Coppens said.
The publisher of the Brussels based weekly paper the European Voice, Dennis Landsbert-Noon also claims ownership of the address. Mr Landsbert-Noon told the EUobserver that he bought the address from the student for 130 euro and has handed it on to the Italians.
However, the Italian presidency has not yet taken advantage of the gift and the address still leads to Mr Coppens' private webpage, according to the European Voice publisher.
Meanwhile the official Italian EU presidency site can be found on an alternative address at 'www.ueItalia2003.it'.