EDRi and partners launch Copyright for Creativity declaration

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Deutsch: [EDRi und Partner veröffentlichen „Copyright for Creativity“-Deklaration | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1903]

EDRi, as part of a broad based coalition of European groups, representing
consumers, creators, libraries, civil society and technology companies today
released Copyright for Creativity, a declaration calling for a European
copyright law truly adapted to the Internet age. Copyright for Creativity
calls for a copyright regime fostering digital creativity, innovation,
education, and access to cultural works – and therefore ultimately European
competitiveness in a digital world.

Copyright is based on both protection of creative works and exceptions to
that protection, which allow for businesses and creators to innovate, make
creative reuses of content, and to build on the work of others. For example,
copyright protects a novelist’s rights over her novel, while an exception
recognising parody would allow another writer to create a new work of parody
based on the original. While copyright protects an academic’s published
research, exceptions allow for others to cite, copy in-part, and quote from
that research. A balance is therefore struck between the need to protect
creators’ rights, and the public benefit that can be realised through
reuses, references, and other derivations of the work being created.

These exceptions are key to enabling legitimate reuses and innovation, and
the activity of a number of socially and economically important stakeholders
depends on them. While the public debate and political agenda around
copyright focuses heavily on measures to protect ownership of creative
works, the Copyright for Creativity declaration sets out a positive agenda
by identifying a set of objectives that need to be achieved if copyright is
to fully drive digital competitiveness, creativity and innovation.

Among its recommendations, the declaration calls for European copyright law
to act as a spur to innovation, support education and research, facilitate
digital preservation and archiving, and harmonise exceptions further across
the EU. Also accompanying the declaration are clear examples of the
shortcomings of the existing copyright regime; these examples illustrate the
application of copyright exceptions in everyday life and their benefit to
everyone.

Today’s declaration is only a start, as the coalition expects many more
signatories to join after the launch. Given that Members of the European
Parliament already support the declaration, the coalition also expects it to
serve as a basis for a much needed debate on copyright and the way to ensure
that it best serves the interest of creators, innovators and users alike.

Full text of the Copyright for Creativity declaration

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