News

Press Release of the Danish Ministry of Culture:

Trade associations, companies and rights holders have agreed upon an important code of conduct today. It will make it easier for users on the internet to find and use creative products. It will also create a better framework for companies to develop good services.

The declaration of intent is a specific result of the Danish Ministry of Culture’s Dialogue Forum and it is essential in a future collaborative way of solving the challenges of digitalisation as the companies and organisations behind it come from all corners of the internet’s value chain. Behind the declaration is thus among others ISPs, payment services, rights holders, search engines and trade associations.

The parties in the code have agreed upon the following principles:

• to contribute to make the Internet a safe and legitimate platform for consumers and businesses
• to emphasise that copyright is an important foundation stone for growth and innovation
• to collaborate to reduce financial crime, based on copyright infringement
• to collaborate in promoting the spread of legal products
• to contribute to efficient processes that can help to limit copyright infringement and crime associated therewith

Moreover a number of working groups are established, which will map out existing voluntary measures as well as look at the possibilities of launching new initiatives in different areas.

The minister for culture Marianne Jelved says: “The Dialogue Forum is a fine example of how we in Denmark are able to coorporate in finding good solutions to difficult challenges.

The Internet should be a safe and legal place to roam. We must bring together all good powers around this. I am therefore pleased with having some of the country’s most important players agree on this code of conduct, which shows that we work together in shouldering the task. I am also satisfied with having the work continue in the established working groups, which I look forward to follow.

About Dialogue Forum: Dialogue Forum is one of eight initiatives in the Copyright Package, which was published by the government 20 June 2012. In the Dialogue Forum, companies, trade associations and authorities have during autumn 2014 and spring 2015 discussed how to limit the supply of illegal services with creative content through voluntary measures by, among other things, emphasizing the many legal services or by helping each other curb the illegal services.

London- PRS for Music Chief Executive, Robert Ashcroft delivered a compelling speech at the AGM on 18 May at the British Library Conference Centre to PRS board members, members, staff, industry leaders and media.

Robert Ashcroft highlighted the unprecedented changes across the music market and value gap between some technology platforms and what is paid to music creators. He said, “This is our battle. You must be protected by strong copyright law and our government must support us with the European Commission in our demands that the boundaries of Safe Harbour be re-drawn to ensure that any service that aggregates, disseminates or curates copyright works is fully licensed in a free market.”

Click here to read the full speech

The Commission adopted its Communication on the Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe today. GESAC, which gathers 34 authors’ societies from across Europe and represents more than one million authors and rights holders, welcomes the intention of the Commission to clarify the conditions for the use of copyright protected works by online intermediaries within the forthcoming legislative initiative on copyright. As noted in the Communication, this is particularly important considering intermediaries’ growing involvement in content distribution and the need to safeguard fair remuneration for creators in order to encourage future generations of content.

Today, creators receive very low or no remuneration from the biggest usage of their works on Internet. This is because the biggest and most popular online platforms/services deny that they undertake copyright relevant acts and then hide behind “safe-harbours” to avoid appropriate remuneration and consent of creators under copyright law. This situation severely penalises authors and rights holders and thus puts the future and sustainability of the entire creative ecosystem at risk: and ecosystem that happens to be one of the main contributors to the overall EU economy. It also discourages legitimate online businesses that provide the same or similar services while clearing relevant rights and trying to be part of a strong European digital market.

GESAC’s General Manager, Véronique Desbrosses said the following: “Authors are at the heart of the value chain of the cultural and creative industry, which provides 7.1 millions jobs, and could provide even more with appropriate policies in place. On the other hand, the online services describing themselves as mere intermediaries do not play fairly and do not remunerate creation as they should. This has to be fixed urgently in the EU copyright law”.

For more information :

Véronique Desbrosses, General Manager
Tel: 02 511 44 54
veronique.desbrosses@gesac.org

On 9 April,  Mr Dario Franceschini, the Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and the French Minister for Culture and Communication Ms. Fleur Pellerin adopted a joint statement on culture and authors’ right/copyright in Europe.

The statement issued by France and Italy recalls in particular the fundamental role played by authors’ right/copyright for cultural diversity, artistic creation and freedom of expression.  France and Italy undertake to work together towards developing concrete proposals to ensure that authors’ right/copyright continue to play an essential role in the remuneration of creation and support for innovation within the European debate on authors’ right/copyright and the single digital market. The signatories believe that ensuring equitable sharing of value among stakeholders must be a priority for the European Union, in particular for the most fragile stakeholders, by promoting thedevelopment of the cultural and creative sector of which collective management societies are an integral part.

GESAC, grouping 34 authors’ societies from all over the EU and thus representing over one million authors and right holders, welcomes this strong commitment from these two prominent EU Countries.

GESAC General Manager Véronique Desbrosses said: « After the recent joint Franco-German statement, this new declaration is a proof of growing recognition of the central role of authors’ rights/copyright as an enabler for the development of a vibrant single digital market.  In the current EU debate on authors’ right/copyright in the digital single market, policymakers must seize the opportunities offered to encourage and promote the cultural and creative industries, that are  among the most dynamic sectors in terms of both adaptation to new business models and creation of jobs and growth in Europe. To do that, the value generated by digital technologies that owe their success mostly to access to creative works should be fairly shared with the creators of those works so as to ensure a sustainable digital content ecosystem.»

> Link to the Common Declaration: French version/ Italian version/ Non-official English version