More on copyright reform from the Commission

Further to its proposal for copyright reform earlier this month, the European Commission yesterday issued a press release giving a little more detail on the four issues to be addressed by "stakeholder dialogue" as well as suggesting what the solutions to these issues might be. The stakeholder dialogue is to be jointly led by Commissioners Michel Barnier (Internal Market and Services), Neelie Kroes (Digital Agenda) and Androulla Vassiliou (Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth) and will be launched in 2013 "to seek to deliver rapid progress in four areas through practical industry-led solutions".

The issues to be addressed by the stakeholder dialogue are:

- Cross-border access and the portability of services - the Commission's objective is to foster cross-border online access and "portability" of content across borders. This work should take stock of current industry initiatives and deliver practical solutions to promote multi-territory access.

- User-generated content and licensing for small-scale users of protected material - the Commission's objective is to foster transparency and ensure that end-users have greater clarity on uses of protected material. This work should identify relevant forms of licensing and how to improve information for end-users'.

- Audiovisual sector and cultural heritage institutions - the Commission's objective is to facilitate the deposit and online accessibility of films in the EU. This work should deliver concrete solutions for both commercial and non-commercial uses.

- Text and data mining (TDM) - the Commission's objective is to promote efficient TDM for scientific research purposes. This work should explore solutions such as standard licensing models as well as technology platforms to facilitate TDM access.

The stakeholder dialogue will be invited to present its results before the end of 2013.

In parallel to the stakeholder dialogue, the press release confirms that the on-going review of the EU framework for copyright legal will be completed, based on market studies, impact assessment and legal drafting work, with a view to a decision in 2014 on whether to table legislative reform proposals.

Commission President José Manuel Barroso said:

"Exploiting the full potential of the digital economy is vital to delivering growth in Europe. It is extremely important for us to work with industry in order to accelerate solutions which tap the potential of digital markets to develop new business models. A modern copyright framework can be win-win for all stakeholders, providing sustainable incentives for creativity, cultural diversity and innovation, and improving choice and access to legal offers for consumers."