Licences for Europe: Request to broaden the discussions
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Deutsch: [Licences for Europe: Die Diskussion muss breiter werden | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.7_Licences_for_Europe_Die_Diskussion_muss_breiter_werden?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130410]
In December 2012, the European Commission announced a stakeholder
dialogue to discuss innovative solution to improve cross-border access
to online content. The stated aim of the initiative was to work with
stakeholders on modernising copyright while the Commission theoretically
would also look at the functioning of the legal framework.
Since its launch on 4 February 2013, the stakeholder dialogue (Licences
for Europe) has been heavily criticised for restricting the scope of
discussion to contractual solutions without any public discussion of the
current legal framework. The Commission has already received letters
from stakeholder groups requesting improvements in the “Licences for
Europe” process. There are widespread concerns, most particularly in
relation to text and data mining and user generated content. The
problems have been caused by the legal framework, so it is quite
obviously absurd to ban discussions on this topic.
In a joint letter sent on 8 April 2013 to Vice-President Kroes,
Commissioner Vassiliou and Commissioner Barnier, EDRi and EBLIDA
(European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations)
requested the broadening of the scope of discussion for working group 1
on cross-border access and service portability. The letter alerts the
Commissioners that the process is unlikely to solve the issues at stake
if it restricts itself to contractual and technological solutions. The
stakeholders should be able to discuss all factors that create barriers
and that can explain the lack of choice and availability of content in
the European Union. The letter strongly urges the Commission to broaden
the scope of the discussion, without breaking the working group into
different parts (based on a sectoral approach). The first task should be
to identify the main restrictions and the reasons for their existence,
to allow a fruitful debate on the solutions to allow greater access to
content.
Letter sent by EDRi and EBLIDA (8.04.2013)
https://edri.org/files/Licences-for-EuropeWG1_letter_EDRi-EBLIDA.pdf
Commission agrees way forward for modernising copyright in the digital
economy (5.12.2012)
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-12-950_en.htm?locale=en
Press release of the European Commission on Licences for Europe
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-1394_en.htm
“It´s about more copyright, stupid!” (07.04.2013)
The EU Commission’s Outrageous Attempt to Avoid Copyright Reform (4.02.2013)
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/the-eu-commissions-outrageous-attempt-to-avoid-copyright-reform
EDRi-gram: ENDitorial: Licences for Europe and fight club… only one
rule (13.03.2013)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number11.3/licences-for-europe-fight-club
Letter sent to the Commissioners requesting fairness in the discussion
during the stakeholders’ dialogue (28.02.2013)
http://www.copyright4creativity.eu/Public/C4CLetterEuropeanCommissionersResponseWGSessions
Letter on Working Group 2 (User-Generated Content) (28.02.2013)
https://edri.org/files/l4e_wg2.pdf
Letter on Working Group 4 on data and text mining (26.02.2013)
http://www.libereurope.eu/news/licences-for-europe-a-stakeholder-dialogue-text-and-data-mining-for-scientific-research-purpose
(Contribution by Marie Humeau – EDRi)