European Commission (EC) has agreed to modernise copyright rules and regulations in the digital economy by adopting a two tiered workplan to address the issues over the next year and a half.
Digital economy, which has been responsible for growth in the past two twenty years, is anticipated to grow seven times faster when compared to overall EU GDP in future.
The European Commission is aimed at assuring that copyright stays fit for reason in the new digital context.
The move is also aimed at ensuring effective recognition and remuneration of rights holders to offer sustainable incentives for creativity, cultural diversity and innovation, confess greater access and a wider choice of legal offers to end users.
The modernisation will also allow new business models to come out and combat illegal offers and piracy.
The two tiered workplan includes immediate issues for action: launch of stakeholder dialogue and medium term issues for decision-making in 2014.
Under the first plan, EC will launch structured stakeholder dialogue during the beginning of 2013 to deal with six issues that require rapid progress including cross-border portability of content, user-generated content, data- and text-mining, private copy levies, access to audiovisual works and cultural heritage.
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The debate will look at the potential and limits of new licensing and technological solutions that make European Union’s (EU) copyright law and practice fit for the digital economy.
By December 2013, the seminary will consider outcome of the debate which is aimed at delivering effective market-led solutions to the identified issues, while not prejudging the expected public policy action requirement, including legislative reform.
The second work plan on medium term issues for decision-making in 2014 includes the completion of the applicable market studies, impact evaluation and legal drafting work.
During the second work plan, the issues to be addressed include justifying the effects of territoriality in the Internal Market, agreeing appropriate levels of harmonisation, limitations and exceptions to copyright in the digital age.
The second work plan will also deal with the methods to be opted to reduce the fragmentation of the EU copyright market and how to enhance the legitimacy of enforcement in the context of wider copyright reform.
As per the results of the process, the European Commission will fix on the next steps required to complete its review of the EU copyright framework.
