Copyright applicable to satellite and cable broadcasting
On 17 July 1991, after extensive consultation with media experts and other interested parties, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Council Directive on the coordination of rules concerning copyright applicable to satellite and TV broadcasting. To be presented to the Council shortly after the above date, the proposal is part of the legislative strategy to create a "European audiovisual space". Its aim is to guarantee a common level of copyright protection (rights of authorship and neighbouring rights) within the Member States. Inter alia: The right to transmission by satellite of a protected work shall be established in the country from which the broadcast originates; the author's fees shall be agreed on the basis of the real or potential audience (who may be dispersed across several countries). In the case of the cable distribution of protected works, an "umbrella" right to transmission must be negotiated by the distributors with organisations specifically representing the various categories of copyright holder.