On 11 July 2012, Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, presented during a press conference, the proposal for a
Directive on collective management of copyright and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in musical works for online uses in the internal market. Michel Barnier said: “We need a European digital Single Market that works for creators, consumers and service providers. More efficient collecting societies would make it easier for service providers to roll out new services available across borders – something that serves both European consumers and cultural diversity.” He added “More generally, all collecting societies should ensure that creators are rewarded more quickly for their work and must operate with full transparency. This is paramount to sustaining investment in creativity and innovation which will in turn lead to additional growth and increased competitiveness.”
The project comprises two steps: a better functioning of collecting societies in terms of transparency and governance, imposing new rules and facilitating grants of pan-European licences by online music platforms in the Eu Countries.
“Today’s needs are different, collecting societies have to adapt to online demand that is developing at an incredible rate, as well as to the new requirements for transparency and governance. In the past, disc producers bought the rights and sold. Today, if iTunes want to put a song online in the whole of Europe, it has to get the authorisation from 27 entities, not to mention the rights holders. This is what we want to simplify,” the Commissioner explained.
We reminds that in 2010, the European digital music market grew by 22%, compared with only 4% in the US.
The rapporteur at the European Parliament, Marielle Gallo (EPP, France), pledged that this reform will “benefit first and foremost European artists and consumers”. Referring to the proposal, the collecting societies will also have to pay authors and rights holders their due within 12 months.
In Italy, Enzo Mazza, SCF President, declared “it’s an important innovation in a sector that represent at least 25% of the entire music market in Italy. The Commission established rules of trasparency and governance concerning the
administration of rights that are fondamental in the digital age where rights are much more fragmented and is even more important that every right’s holder could receive his due based on real use.
The proposals was welcomed by most of the interested parties: among others Sacem in France and Gema in Germany.
We remind that that this Directive is part of the 2011 UE strategy on Intellectual Property Rights.