Buma/Stemra and YouTube close deal on licenses

Video platform YouTube has reached an agreement with Buma/Stemra, reports nu.nl. According to this agreement, YouTube pays Buma a fee on behalf of its users. When these use music in their videos, they are exempt from having to close a deal with Buma themselves. Also, one can embed YouTube video’s on one’s own site without having to fear a Buma bill.

The deal makes no distinction between commercial and non-commercial users.

The agreement follows a flood of criticism directed at Buma after the organisation announced two months ago that it planned on charging fees for embedding in their site videos containing music. Embedding up to six videos would cost 130 Euros. These plans have now been cancelled.

Buma represents around 17.000 Dutch music publishers, artists and music writers and collects license fees on their behalf when their music is used. Furthermore, Buma represents over two million foreign artists. The organisation is thrilled with the deal and negotiates similar deals with other video platforms. The status of these negotiations is unclear.

Bits of Freedom, a civil rights organisation for the online environment that proved vocal in its criticism of Buma last October, views the deal positively. “This is good for users, that now have more clarity,” says Ot van Daalen, head of BoF.

Judicially speaking, BoF would have liked to see more clarity. Van Daalen: “A fixed fee has been agreed, so the question if embedding is a new act of publication has been left unanswered.

23-12-2009