The Council held a public debate on several aspects of the EUs strategy to modernise copyright laws. In particular, the debate focused on three key elements of the strategy: (i) the copyright framework across the digital single market, (ii) the different national policies on private copying levies, and (iii) the collective management of copyright and multi-territorial licensing of online music.
In regard to this third element, i.e. the collective management of copyright and multi-territorial licensing of online music, the Council took note of a progress report as well as of an oral update by the Presidency.
A Presidency compromise proposal was sent to delegations on 5 April 2013, involving partial or substantial redrafting of a majority of the articles of the text. This text is being examined in a series of Working Party meetings. The final meetings of the Working Party under the irish Presidency are scheduled for 4 June and 12 June. It is understood that Parliaments Legal Affairs Committee envisages adopting its report on the proposal in early July.
To recall, the proposed Directive pursues two complementary objectives: firstly, it aims to put in place an appropriate legal framework for the collective management of authors rights by providing for rules ensuring improved governance and greater transparency of all collecting societies; secondly, it aims to facilitate the multi-territorial and multi-repertoire licensing by collecting societies of the rights of authors in their musical works for online uses within the internal market.