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José Jorge Letria, journalist and President of the Portuguese Society of Authors, recently wrote on the Portuguese newspaper Público, launching the idea of a European Authors Party. Check below why it “has all the conditions to become an intervention and fighting tool for many hundreds of thousands of authors from several countries and different areas of creation which can complement the work of collective management societies.”

In May 2014, the citizens of the 28 European Union countries are going to elect the members of the European Parliament. There is a high expectation about the level of participation because the unfamiliarity and indifference gap between national voters and the institution whose members they are electing has never been truly bridged, probably because said voters have never considered how much the decisions of the Brussels-Strasbourg axis affects the lives of each country’s community and, for that matter, each of our lives.

During a recent meeting with societies of authors from all over Europe, the European Commission officer in charge of Private Copy matters, Kerstin Jorna, stated: “The next European elections will need strong candidates if a new cycle is to begin and, to a large extent, if the European Union’s future itself is to be ensured. But this has to be based on clear ideas.”

A couple of months ago, we talked about a new study on the economic impact of the cultural and creative sector to the French economy. The study, which was available only in French, can be found now also in English at the links below:

http://www.francecreative.fr/presentation-en/

http://www.francecreative.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Panorama_ICC_UK_012014.pdf

For a recap, here are the most striking facts we have spotted in the study:

• Cultural and creative industries employ 1.2 million people in France, which is 5% of the country’s job market. What’s more, most of these jobs cannot be moved offshore.
• The annual revenue of the sector (€61,4bn) exceeds that of the automobile industry (€60,4bn) and of the luxury goods industry (€52,5bn). It is almost equivalent to the revenue generated by the telecommunications industry (€66,2bn) and the revenue of the chemical sector (€68,7bn).
• The French cultural and creative sector has produced European and international champions: the n° 1 music production company in the world (Universal Music Group); two of the international leaders in web-based streaming services: audio (Deezer), and video (Dailymotion); the 2nd largest publishing group worldwide (Hachette), and the 3rd largest video game publisher (Ubisoft).

On 17 December, the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee will vote on an opinion on private copying levies, also known as private copying remuneration (PCR). Ahead of this vote, authorsocieties.eu is writing a series of posts called ‘PCR matters’ that explains why you should care about private copying levies. This week we explain you how copyright levies benefit consumers.

Private copying levies benefit consumers in many aspects of their lives.

Making your life easier -Thanks to copyright levies, consumers can legally and freely copy content for their own use. This makes it easier for consumers to enjoy their favourite movies, books, and TV shows across the different devices they use. It is also cost-effective for consumers as it has been shown that the existence of private copying levies has no effect on the price of devices.

Respecting your privacy -The system has the additional advantage of not being intrusive as it preserves the privacy of consumers.

Helping new content to emerge – As they make a significant part of authors’ revenues, private copying levies contribute to the creation of new content too. Moreover a part of levies is used to support cultural activities such as the organisation of concerts, festivals, film production, etc. This means that in the future consumers will be able to enjoy new and more varied content.

Supporting home-grown jobs – Private copying levies also contribute to the vibrancy of the European cultural and creative sector. Recent studies have demonstrated the value of this sector for the European economy. These home-grown industries produce jobs that cannot be moved offshore.

More about our views on private copying remuneration:

PCR matters #1- Private copying remuneration: More relevant in today’s digital world than ever

PCR matters #2 – Private copying levies: Fair compensation for creation

PCR matters #3 – Private copying levies: Indispensable source for social and cultural activities

Why you should care about private copying remuneration

What author societies want for private copying remuneration

How it is an essential source of income for European creators