WIREDGOV

On-line music service providers will be able to get licenses more easily under a provisional deal struck by Parliament and Council negotiators on Monday evening. The new rules are intended to stimulate the creation of EU-wide online music services for consumers and ensure that creators' rights are better protected and their royalties are paid more quickly.

“The Directive will effectively protect the interests of European creators and make it possible for end users to have access to copyright-protected content throughout Europe. This new piece of legislation clearly demonstrates that copyright can be easily adapted to the digital era,” said the rapporteur, Marielle Gallo (EPP, FR).

Equal access to markets for all repertoires

Under the draft law, service providers will obtain licenses from a small number of authors' collective management organisations operating across EU borders instead of having to deal with separate organisations in each EU member state,

In negotiations with EU ministers, MEPs were able to ensure that smaller and less popular repertoires will have access to the markets by requiring collective management organisations to issue licenses under the same conditions for all repertoires.

Timely remuneration

Throughout the negotiations, Parliament's negotiators highlighted the importance of protecting authors’ rights and ensuring that they are paid promptly for the use of these rights. The agreed text provides for royalties to be distributed to artists as quickly as possible and no later than nine months from the end of the financial year in which the rights revenue is collected.

Better protection for the rights of the artists

MEPs also succeeded in ensuring that rightholders will have a say in the decisions on the management of their rights and the freedom to select the collective management organization of their choice. In addition, they made sure that rightholders will be able to grant licenses for non-commercial uses.

The draft directive also impose more transparency and better governance on collective management organizations.

Next steps

The agreed text still needs to be adopted formally by Parliament and EU ministers. The Legal Affairs Committee vote is scheduled for 26 November and the full Parliament is expected to vote in February 2014..

Committee on Legal Affairs

Rapporteur: Marielle Gallo (EPP, FR)

Procedure: ordinary legislative procedure (codecision)