Copyright rules for a European information society agreed
The European Union will have new copyright rules addressing the issues of the information society, following the Council of ministers adoption of a Directive on 9 April. The European Commission, European Parliament and Council have all had input on the creation of the Directive, which has taken three years to finalise. All nine amendments proposed by the European Parliament were included in the final text (and were endorsed by the European Commission). It fulfils one of the aims of the Lisbon summit and is expected to be made law in the Member States within about 18 months. Welcoming the news, European Commissioner for the Internal market, Frits Bolkestein, said: 'This is a very significant achievement. Not only is this Directive the most important measure ever to be adopted by Europe in the copyright field but it brings European copyright rules into the digital age. Europe's creators, artists and copyright industries can look forward with renewed confidence to the challenges posed by electronic commerce.' Harmonisation of rights of reproduction, distribution, communication to the public, legal protection of anti-copying devices and rights management systems takes place under the Directive. Some of its main features include a mandatory exception for technical copies on the Internet for network operators in certain circumstances, an exhaustive optional list of exceptions to copyright which includes private copying, the introduction of the concept of fair compensation for rights holders and a mechanism to secure the benefit for users for certain exceptions where anti-copying devices are in place. This Directive is seen as complementary to the E-commerce Directive which has already been adopted in creating a harmonised legal framework throughout the European Union to encourage the development of an information society. Its adoption will also enable the Community and its Member States to ratify the 1996 World intellectual property (WIPO) treaties concerning protection of authors (WCT) and performers and phonogram producers (WPPT). Commenting on the development, a spokesman for the IPR (Intellectual property rights) helpdesk said: 'This Directive is good news for anyone undertaking EU-funded research activities in the IST fields and will be a welcome addition to the measures currently available for the protection of Europe's intellectual property rights.'