The European Commission is working on modernizing European copyright, and today, September 14, they published their proposal for a new copyright directive. “The proposal is an important step in the right direction,” says TONO CEO Cato Strøm.
/ 14/09/2016 / codex
In the proposal that has been presented, key themes such as "communication to the public" and "transfer of value" are addressed, but only in the explanations of the legislative context.
– We are pleased that the Commission has taken an important step in the right direction. However, if today's proposal for a new directive is to stand, it will mean that there will still be legal uncertainty regarding the platform services' liability for the content published on their services, which would be very unfortunate for creative Europe, says Cato Strøm, CEO of TONO.
– Still a long way to go
Currently, services where users themselves make copyrighted content available can generate large revenues from the content while only a small, or no, share of the revenues accrues to the music creators, or other artists for that matter. This imbalance is to the great detriment of creators and puts European cultural creativity and diversity at risk.
Musician, composer and chairman of TONO, Bendik Hofseth, believes that the current situation is taking a toll on freedom of expression:
– Music creators make a living by communicating. If they are to be able to do so, it is absolutely necessary that they are allowed to work in a market where they are actually compensated when their music is used. It is an outrageous fact that creators can only stand by and watch as their music generates enormous income without themselves being allowed to take part in the economy. We cannot be familiar with that in a modern Europe. It is absolutely crucial to have clear laws and regulations in this area, and even though we are now seeing good signs from the EU, there is still some way to go, he points out.
A level playing field is necessary
– I would think that most people would agree that a European digital single market should have equal conditions of competition for both technical platforms and creators. This would ensure Europe has a thriving creative sector, while giving users greater diversity and accessibility, says Cato Strøm.
– This is a message that was clearly conveyed to the EU this summer, where more than 22,000 creators from all fields of art, including more than 700 Norwegians, had signed a letter to the Commission. We are confident that both the Commission and Norwegian legislators will take their concerns seriously. TONO and the other European management organizations look forward to further cooperation with the EU institutions to hopefully ensure that the imbalance in the digital economy can be redressed, concludes Strøm.
Other background material:
"Transfer of value" explained (website of Gesac, the European management companies' voice in Brussels)
The list of the 22,000 European creators who signed the petition to the Commission a few weeks ago
You can read the petition here. which the 22,000 creators signed.
(Forum at the top: TONO/Willy Martinsen)