The European Commission published details in May of this year of their plans to modernise and harmonise copyright laws in Europe. This will aim to open up digital opportunities between the 28 EU member states. They are aiming to create a ‘digital single market.’
EU copyright rules date back to 2001 and the Commission says that new rules are needed to come in line with new technologies, consumer behaviour and market conditions. The new rules will allow access to a wider variety of works, in particular, across borders. The Commission states that it is essential to reduce national discrepancies across Member States and work on a more European copyright framework to ensure greater legality in a number of sectors. These include research, education and cultural heritage.
The main elements of the copyright modernisation will include:
- Portability of legally acquired content : if you have legally paid for an on-line service while at home, you should be able to access it in another EU country
- Better access to online services from other EU Member States : if a service can be purchased on-line in a different EU country, you should be able to buy it in your country
- Harmonising exceptions for activities such as research, education, text and data mining
- Clarifying the rules of the use of copyright-protected content by intermediaries. The commission will look into interactions between the creative sector and digital platforms
- Modernising the enforcement of intellectual property rights with particular focus on commercial-scale infringements
Commercial Solicitor, Karen Edwards says, "The Commission will review the role of on-line giants such as Google and Facebook and look into the transparency of search results and pricing policies and how they use the data they acquire."
Our Commercial team, based in Christchurch also cover Bournemouth, Poole and the New Forest. For a free initial chat, please call 01202 499255 and Karen or a member of the team will be happy to discuss any questions that you may have.
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