Brussels, 18/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - Seeking to contribute to the European Commission's discussions and to draft legislation on collective rights management which aim to simplify the clearance of musical rights for cross-border online usage, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers (GESAC) have joined together to call for simplified measures for broadcasters. They stressed the need to adopt a rights clearance mechanism for musical works that is tailor-made to the broadcasting industry for their non-linear broadcast-like services, such as catch-up TV or radio podcasting. As things stand, broadcasters must clear the rights for all pieces of music in their own programming used online, even if they have already been cleared for the original, linear broadcast. A simplified mechanism should allow broadcasters to clear the rights, including for cross-border use of musical works, in both their linear and non-linear (broadcast-like) audio and audiovisual online services with the same authors' society that has granted them the licence for their traditional broadcasting activities. “Broadcasters need a music rights clearance mechanism that is simple, coherent and efficient”, said EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre. GESAC Secretary General Véronique Desbrosses said: “This commonly supported model is the result of our shared views on the best way to organise rights clearance in a manner that is efficient for broadcasters and respectful of rights holders' interests”. (I.L./transl.rt)