Yesterday, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, has given some insight on her view on the future of copyright. In a keynote speech, she addressed the Creative Industries Intellectual Property and Innovation Summit 2012.

According to Kroes, copyright law could be reformed on a European level, to support the creative sector. She calls for parties in the current copyright debate in Europe, to consider the context and time in which this debate is held, since often, the debate involves extreme positions and rigid views; “Let's remind ourselves of that context. The world we live in is changing fast. Technology is changing. Business models are changing. The way we consume and enjoy creative works - music, movies, games – is changing. And, if we want to keep the right balance, the legal framework has to respond.” 

Commissioner Kroes points at major changes in the industry, which had not been foreseen at the time of drafting the current copyright Directive of 2011. She refers to social media sites such as Facebook, but also video-platforms such as YouTube, which did not yet exist in 1998. The most important change since 1998 according to Kroes, is that “back then, creation and distribution were in the hands of the few. Now they are in the hands of everyone: democratising innovation, empowering people to generate and exchange ideas, supporting and stimulating huge creativity,” 

Furthermore, Kroes asked some rhetorical questions concerning copyright, such as: How can we expect pan-European companies to succeed, if in practice they have to deal with 27 different sets of rules, even if based on a supposedly common European framework? How can we expect them to compete against American platforms that can easily market to hundreds of millions? In short, the world has changed, and is changing still. The change is rapid, it is profound, and it is a huge opportunity for the creative sector,” she concludes.

For future discussion on copyright, Kroes asks to leave passionate opinions aside and adopt a pragmatic approach. “Is our current system consistent and relevant within the real world?” This should be the main question during this debate. Kroes has shown herself to be proactive towards Internet openness, and an advocate for copyright reform. Therefore, she now proposes to amend the Copyright Directive 2001 on the basis of a public consultation; “I am open to ideas from all stakeholders: artists, consumers, businesses, researchers. Only together we can adapt ourselves to the future, and stimulate innovation and growth.” 

A more harmonized European copyright Directive would have major influence on current copyright legislation. However, if the European Commission does not present guidelines concerning this issue soon, Member States might already search and implement their own solutions.  Several European countries have been experimenting with solutions for their copyright-issues, either by stricter enforcement or by other means. Without proper coordination, research- and implementation expenses for these local solutions could add up, which may be uneconomical for Member States. 

Read more about Neelie Kroes’ viewpoints on Future of Copyright: 

• Kroes dissatisfied with current European copyright system 
• Neelie Kroes: "Openness on the internet does not mean anarchy"

Source: Europa.eu

Written by: Nathalie Falot