Copyright package

The EESC:

• welcomes the package to adapt copyright to the requirements of the digital economy;
• stresses that regulating copyright must serve to strike a balance between the rights of all these parties, avoiding bureaucracy and unnecessary requirements;
• stresses that swift ratification by the EU of the Marrakesh Treaty on copyright in relation to the blind is important and necessary;
• suggests a number of amendments e.g. on text and data mining or copies of works for the preservation of cultural heritage to adjust copyright more closely to current requirements;
• refers to the ECJ judgement stating that, under certain conditions, the lending of a digital copy of a book has similar characteristics to the lending of printed works;
• urges that "freedom of panorama" exception should be harmonised by European rules;
• supports the exclusive related right of publishers to authorise or prohibit the digital use of their press publications for a period of twenty years;
• welcomes that authors are entitled to fair remuneration for their creative endeavours, to be associated with the commercial success of their works and to benefit from a high level of protection and funding of works.

Other relevant EESC opinions:

• Modernisation of copyright rules (INT/774)
• Digital contract rights (INT/775)
• Trade secrets (INT/725)
• Collective management of copyright (INT/659)
• Single Market for Intellectual Property Rights (INT/591)
• Protection of intellectual property rights/OHIM (INT/585)
• Term of protection of copyright and related rights (INT/449)
• Copyright in the music sector (INT/418)