Orgalime comments on the European Commission initiative on “Building the EU Data Economy”

A functional digital single market depends on an innovation-friendly framework for the flow of nonpersonal data within the European Union. An innovation-friendly framework for the flow of nonpersonal data is also a prerequisite for making the EU a competitive location for new data-based business models.

The principle of freedom of contract is a fundamental rule of contract law in all European legal systems. It applies to business-to-business transactions and is the foundation of a free market economy. Orgalime believes that freedom of contract should naturally be the basis of B2B relations concerning data exchange and flow of data overall.

Intellectual property rights, trade secrets, the right of companies to protect their know-how and the remaining legal framework should be fully respected in the digital world as well as in research activities (for example in H2020 EU-financed research projects).