[wos] EU-Konsultation zur Harmonisierung der Verwertungsgesellschaften

[Volker Grassmuck]

Die Konsultation läuft bis zum 21. Juni (Hintergund und Links s.u.). 
Das Panel zu Alternative Compensation Systems auf der wos3 ist am 12. 
Juni. Auch über die Panelteilnehmer hinaus werden auf der wos einige 
namhafte Urheberrechtler sein. Wie wäre es, wenn wir dort eine 
gemeinsame Stellungnahme an die EU-Kommission verabschieden? Eine 
neue Online-VG oder gar eine neue pauschalvergütete Online-Lizenz 
sind zwar nicht direkt Thema, aber um diese Idee zu lancieren könnte 
es keine bessere Gelegenheit geben. Wenn wir einen möglichst großen 
Stein ins Wasser werfen, wird das schon Wellen schlagen. Was haltet 
Ihr von einer Berlin Declaration on Collectively Managed Online 
Rights?

Volker

Original URL: 
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/20/european_union_drm/

Europe demands open-to-all DRM tech
By Tony Smith (tony.smith at theregister.co.uk)
Published Tuesday 20th April 2004 12:23 GMT

The European Commission this week said the market for digital content 
distribution will not amount to much until the multitude of DRM 
systems become interoperable and content licensing takes place on a 
Europe-wide basis.

And it wants to see legislation to force the rules of the unified 
internal market on content licensing agencies and copyright holders.

The EC's demand should come as music to the ears of Apple, Napster 
and any other digital download provider currently attempting to 
license music for sale in multiple EU member states.

Last Friday, for example, Apple Europe chief Pascal Cagni said that 
the European launch of the company's iTunes Music Service might yet 
be delayed 
(http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/19/apple_itunes_euro/) while 
Apple strives to put in place all the licensing deals it needs to 
sell downloads here. Unconfirmed rumour suggests Napster is facing 
similar difficulties.

The EC's comments come after an investigation into how copyright 
needs to be managed in the digital age and what it calls the 
"emerging Information society". Essentially, the EC wants to see a 
"true single market" for the provision of intellectual property 
rights, according to the EC's Internal Market Commissioner, Frits 
Bolkestein.

"Rightholders and commercial users deserve sound and modern 
management of these rights. That is why it is no longer possible not 
to address rights management at European level," he said.

Certainly digital distribution is inherently a border-less 
enterprise, and the market has to evolve accordingly. The music 
industry's pattern of multiple licensing regimes for each European 
country is increasingly at odds with the EU's goals of a unified 
European market for goods and services.

Cagni for one explicitly blames all those licensing regimes for the 
difficulties Apple is experiencing launching ITMS in Europe. Those 
problems would not exist if a single, Europe-wide licensing market 
was in place.

There's a balance to be struck. The EU said it recognises the need to 
ensure "the necessary protection and remuneration of authors and 
performers are balanced against the demands of commercial users". In 
other words, royalty payments need to be harmonised too.

To achieve all this, the EC wants collecting societies - the 
organisations that collect royalties and licence fees on behalf of 
content owners - to be governed through legislation enacted at a 
Community-wide level. "This would make it possible to ensure that 
collecting societies are transparent, and that established Community 
law in the field of intellectual property is properly applied," the 
EU hopes.

"It would foster the emergence of Community-wide licensing for the 
exploitation of rights," the organisation adds, through "common rules 
on collective rights management and on good governance of collecting 
societies."

Of course, Apple and co. are going to have to give up something 
themselves, in return for this unfied licensing regime. In 
particular, they must unifty in turn their DRM technologies, the EC 
says.

"A pre-requisite to ensure Community-wide accessibility to DRM 
systems and services by rightholders as well as users and, in 
particular, consumers, is that DRM systems and services are 
interoperable."

The Commission has launched a consultation exercise and is seeking 
comment from interested parties on legislation covering collective 
rights management. It wants to hear from contributors by 21 June by 
email (mailto:markt-e4 at cec.eu.int). ®
Related link

The full version of the EC Communication is available here 
(http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/intprop/docs/com-
2004-261_en.pdf)

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   Wizards of OS 3, 10-12 June 2004
   http://wizards-of-os.org
   copy = right    http://privatkopie.net
   home:   http://waste.informatik.hu-berlin.de/Grassmuck