Brussels, 19/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - On 19 January, the Copyright for Creativity (C4C) coalition published a manifesto on modernising copyright as part of the review on this started by the European Commission and the publication of a draft report by Julia Reda MEP (Greens/EFA, Germany), which will be discussed on 20 January in the European Parliament's legal affairs (JURI) committee.
C4C draws attention to the diversity of the stakeholders that will be affected by the reform (particularly consumers, digital rights supporters, creative industries, universities, researchers and libraries) and it cites four weak points of the current framework, which will have to be improved for the new regime to be able both to respond to the expectations of the 21st century and to boost innovation and creativity. The four weak points are: (1) an outdated framework that dates back 15 years (the review should simplify and modernise the rules to bring them into line with today's reality, and should comprise a flexible norm to cope with future changes); (2) a fixed framework that does not permit any harmonisation and which hampers the emergence of a single digital market (the solution would be to introduce a harmonised framework based on a mandatory list of limitations and exceptions, that enables both users and businesses to understand their rights and obligations across the EU); (3) the duration of copyright protection is too long (C4C suggests shortening the duration and not extending it beyond what international treaties require so as to enable faster transfer to the public domain); (4) a dysfunctional implementation and enforcement of the rules (the solution would be to review the planned framework on the basis of the legislation in force).
In C4C's opinion, Reda's draft report goes in the right direction and proposes a balanced review of copyright. “Up to her colleagues and Commissioners Ansip and Oettinger to follow suit”, C4C concludes.
In her draft report, Reda calls on the European Commission to ensure a balanced framework that respects the rights of authors and users. She recalls the need for authors and creators to have a legal framework that protects their work and to obtain fair remuneration. Among other things, she recommends lowering the barriers for the public sector's re-use of information by exempting works produced by the public sector from copyright rules. (IL)