European Parliament approval of a report on online distribution of...

by technological barriers, complex licensing procedures, differences in payment methods, lack of interoperability for critical elements such as e-signatures, and variations in tax rates. Fixing those problems will require subtitling, easier cross-border licensing, new business models and innovative payment methods, especially for small- and mid-sized companies, report author Jean-Marie Cavada, of France and the European People’s Party, said in an interview posted on Parliament’s website. EU policy must be to create an environment conducive to development of universally accessible legal content, innovation and creation, he said in the explanatory statement to his report. He stressed the difference between “authors’ rights” that are connected to the author as an individual, and “copyright,” which is a right of exploitation linked to the work itself. Parliament “now unequivocally acknowledges” the need to safeguard authors’ rights and should focus its efforts on ensuring legal certainty in the online environment in Europe and guaranteeing that online and offline services are treated equally, he said. After adoption of the 1989 Television Without Frontiers Directive, there seemed to be a very real prospect of inundating Europe, via cable and satellite, with rich and varied European audiovisual content, but 25 years later that hasn’t happened, he said. Most audiovisual services are targeted mainly at national audiences or a particular linguistic area, which is why there must be no legal requirements to negotiate multiterritorial, multilingual or multiplatform licenses, he said. A pan-European license would merely make it easier for players with the biggest purchasing power to monopolize the market, he said. The report also said that net neutrality is “of fundamental importance” to the online world. Cavada also called for EU-level collective copyright management agreements among authors’ representatives and the platforms that exploit the works on the Internet. Streaming must be regulated, and it’s “absolutely essential” to figure out how to block access to pay platforms offering unauthorized content, he said. The report “takes as its starting point” the need to encourage market players to distribute TV programs and films across a range of platforms, said the Association of Commercial Television in Europe. Commercial broadcasters are already active on those new platforms, it said. ACT is particularly pleased that Parliament has “understood that the copyright regime in our sector is not a barrier” to extensive investment and innovation, Director General Ross Biggam said.