Brussels, 16/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - During an event organised on 9 May the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) highlighted the continuing pivotal role that publishers play in an increasingly digital world and highlighted its position on the key dossiers currently on the European agenda such as the Commission proposal on orphan works, the digitisation of books and the VAT system applicable to e-books. Anne Bergman, FEP Director stated: “As a professional association in Brussels, we now need not only to follow the policies of the institutions but also to explain the essential role publishers play in the book chain to justify our call in favour of balanced policies affecting our sector.”
In order to carry out their role in optimum conditions (to select, check, host, manage, finance and disseminate high-value content to the widest possible readership) the publishers pointed out that they needed a balanced legislative framework that enables them to secure a return on their investment in intellectual property. FEP says that the current EU legal framework is fit for purpose, even if some adjustments might have to be undertaken in such areas as orphan works. In the digitisation field, FEP is supporting the idea of making out-of-commerce works available on the internet and working with Europeana and other public institutions to offer some access to books in their catalogues. On the three key areas currently being examined at a European level, they are adopting the following position:
Orphan works: orphan works are books without identified or locatable author or right holder. Publishers favour the Commission initiative to make these books available to the public during digitisation, including the exception to copyright it implies, as long as a due diligent search is undertaken to ensure the work is really an orphan and they have developed the ARROW project to help make automatised comprehensive searches to this end.
Digitisation of books: in reference to the conclusions adopted by culture ministers during the last Culture Council on 10 May to speed up the digitisation process (see EUROPE 10612), FEP supports mass digitisation of out of commerce works as long as they are based on voluntary agreements between all stakeholders. To this end, FEP signed a memorandum of understanding in September 2011 with the libraries for out-of-commerce books, which are still protected by copyright. FEP, libraries and also authors and collecting societies are promoting balanced projects in this field.
VAT on e-books: the publishers are calling on the Commission to immediately extend to e-books the derogation on VAT currently in force for printed books. In its communication of 10 December, the Commission recognised the issue of discrimination between various reading formats and is currently examining the possibility of cutting VAT on e-books. (IL/transl.fl)