Am 8. Januar 2015 - 12:39 Uhr von Tom Hirche

European Copyright Society calls for unified European Copyright Law

Publikationsdatum 08.01.2015 ~ Art des Materials: Akteure: Schlagworte: Soziales System: Lizenz: 

In a now published letter to Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, the European Copyright Society (ECS) calls for a sweeping reform of copyright.

The ECS sees a need for not just a further harmonization but a "true unification" of copyright in the Union.

Despite almost 25 years of harmonization of copyright in the EU, copyright law in Europe has essentially remained national law. [...] This territoriality has led to fragmentation of markets along national borderlines, critically impeding the establishment of a Digital Single Market for creative content, and undermining the Union’s international competitiveness. 

The actions taken by the Commission to redress the problems of fragmentation (e.g. collective licensing) had raised new legal issues while the initial problem persists. Thus, the ECS calls for a more "ambitious solution" that would "replace national legal titles". Article 118 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) would create a specific competence to establish such a regulation.

Although the ECS acknowledges that some may consider such a step as "undesirable" or "too drastic", in their opinion it would be the logical next step and the only way to achieve a "fully functioning Digital Single Market for copyright-based goods and services". 

A European Copyright Law would enhance legal security and transparency, for right owners and users alike, and greatly reduce transaction and enforcement costs, including those resulting from the still pending issues of jurisdiction and applicable law to copyright infringements online. Moreover, codifying a European Copyright Law would enable the EU legislature to reestablish itself as a global leader in copyright norm setting.

Links

Creative CommonsText freigegeben unter Creative Commons BY 3.0 de.
Diese Lizenz gilt nicht für externe Inhalte, auf die Bezug genommen wird.
AddThis Druckversion Permalink