Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-15-Speech-4-101"
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"en.20040115.4.4-101"2
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"Mr President, I join in the warm thanks expressed by all my fellow Members to Mrs Echerer. I should also like to do so with reference to the way we cooperated. We might yet – who knows? – feature in her TV programmes, as long, of course, as these are properly protected in terms of intellectual property rights.
That everyone is in agreement is evident from the fact that the report has been adopted unanimously in the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market. In addition, the encouraging words which the Commissioner has just spoken will now, I think, lead to improved legislation, in respect of which it is particularly important for transparency and legal certainty to be increased and, above all, democratic control, because clarity avoids lack of understanding.
We are now all talking about the right-holders, but I think that it is also very important to mention the right-users. I can remember an incident last year when many companies in the Netherlands received a letter out of the blue from the
the Reproduction Right Foundation – stating that they needed to pay a hefty bill for copies they had made, without any explanation as to the purpose of this exercise. This sparked fear and anxiety. I think that this legislation can ensure that it becomes clearer on what basis certain costs are charged, why certain costs have to be met and for whom they are intended.
The Commissioner has already indicated that 5% to 7% of the Gross Domestic Product – which is high – is accounted for by products and services that are limited, governed and protected by copyright and neighbouring rights. This means that we are talking about a considerable proportion of our internal market activities, in which there is a need for clarity and structure. As I have already pointed out, competition and the dominant position of collecting societies should not be a problem as such, as long as legislation is clear and is not used inappropriately. I think that this problem can be solved with these recommendations if they are enshrined in legislation.
As Mr Medina Ortega has already indicated, enlargement is also a key aspect of this issue. As a result of their political history, the acceding countries have never given copyright-holders any explicit protection, and this is why I think it is important to provide support on the spot. The rapporteur re-emphasised this point in her oral amendment. We, the Liberals, give her our unqualified backing.
By way of conclusion, we welcome this initiative, and we hope that the Commission can adopt the amendment that I have tabled to produce a clear evaluation after three years in order to check whether the legislation actually works and protection takes place. Having kept within the three-minute time limit, I will not further delay this afternoon’s proceedings."@en1
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"Stichting Reprorecht"1
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