Brussels, 18/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - BUMA, the Dutch collecting society for copyright holders has backed the European Union in its efforts to liberalise the copyright market in Europe. BUMA believes that the interests of authors, composers, editors and consumers would be best served by the introduction of greater competition in the system for the collection of copyright royalties in Europe and Jan Boerstoel, BUMA Chairman said in a press release that “liberalisation of the market will produce winners and losers”.
At the end of January, the Commission issued a statement of objections on the way collecting societies for authors' rights of 24 Member States of the EEA collect copyright royalties. In its response, BUMA does not fully subscribe to Commission's assertions, but it supports efforts to establish a pan-European licensing system. Currently, reciprocal agreements between national collecting societies operate a system that divides the market for collecting copyright royalties on a national basis and promotes a system based on one society per national market. This system has served the interests of authors for decades, says Mr Boerstoel, who warns that the European market and technology have changed and the “collection system must now adapt progressively to respond to an 'online world' that does not recognise national boundaries”.
CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, in its response to the statement of objections, also calls for dialogue with the Commission, but defends the current system. The organisation, which represents 210 authors' societies in 109 countries, emphasises that reciprocal representation agreements are the cornerstone of relations between authors' societies. These agreements allow each authors' society to provide online commercial users with a “one-stop shop” for copyright licences, thereby avoiding the need for them to seek separate agreements for each country, it says in a press release. The Commission considers that this will lead to locking down of national territories, limiting the choice of commercial users to the monopoly society in their own Member State. CISAC points out that two of the three clauses, to which the Commission refers in its comments on the broadcast of music by cable, satellite or Internet, have been dropped, and that the right for authors to join the society of their choice in Europe has been recognised by CISAC. It rules out, however, the removal of the territoriality clause without first seriously studying all possible consequences, says the press release. The removal of this clause would not be in the interests of users or broadcasters, and could cause a reduction in the remuneration of creators, says CISAC.