Uitgeversrecht onder druk?

Op dit moment staat de hervorming van het auteursrecht op de Europese agenda. De Europese Commissie heeft daarin een specifiek uitgeversrecht ingeschreven. Dit voorstel wordt echter erg aangevallen en staat onder druk. De Europese federaties EMMA, ENPA, NME en EPC hebben de krachten verenigd en publiceren daarom op 5-6 september een gemeenschappelijke brief in zoveel mogelijk media als online. Zo doen ook de krantenorganisaties VNM (De Standaard, De Morgen, Het Laatste Nieuws en De Tijd) en LAPRESSE.be (Le Soir, La Libre, L’Echo, L’Avenir, de titels van Sudpresse en Grenz-Echo) mee aan de actie.

U vindt de brief (waarvan meerdere taalversies in omloop zijn) hieronder.

 

 

A Neighbouring Right is vital for the Future of the Press in Europe

Dear Members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and national Governments,

Sustaining a professional and quality press is an important requirement for society and democracy. Our free press is the best defence against “fake news” which proliferates on the web and misleads readers.

We must support a free, reliable, independent and diverse press in order to inform all of our citizens and to cater for all opinions and interests.

Press publishers’ significant investment in the digital economy allows for the dissemination of journalistic content on the web that reaches an increasing number of European citizens.

These investments must be protected in line with the protection already granted to the film, music and broadcasting sectors.

This matter is currently under discussion in Brussels: there is a proposal introducing a neighbouring right for the press sector that will create the legal means to fight against the reuse of press content by third parties for their commercial gain without permission or fair remuneration for the press.

This neighbouring right is crucial: it will help secure the future of an independent press in Europe, notably by helping to create a better balance between press publishing houses on the one hand, and the global technology players which distribute press content on the other.

The neighbouring right is complementary to, and indeed strengthens, journalists’ existing authors’ rights. It will not change the way readers freely share links or post articles on social media. It is not a tax on commercial links as some are suggesting; it simply provides for legal protection of the press publication as a whole, recognising that investment in content production should be rewarded.  It will help make copyright work online to facilitate the emergence of a new, viable economic model for the press.

We invite you to support the proposal for a neighbouring right in the draft Copyright Directive proposed by the European Commission, and to reject the changes proposed by the European Parliament’s  lead rapporteur which removes the neighbouring right, and substitutes it with an approach based on litigation, thereby bringing more uncertainty to press publishers and to journalists in Europe.

Press publishers are counting on you to adopt this neighbouring right in order to uphold the future of a free and independent press in Europe and maintain its vital role in our democracy.