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European Copyright consultation

Posted: Mon 3. Feb 2014, 15:58
by RuthieG
You may be interested in this:

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/con ... dex_en.htm
The objective of this consultation is to gather input from all stakeholders on the review of the EU copyright rules.

All stakeholders are welcome to contribute to this consultation. Contributions are particularly sought from consumers, users, authors, performers, publishers, producers, broadcasters, intermediaries, distributors and other service providers, Collective Management Organisations, public authorities and Member States.
Deadline for submissions: 5th March 2014.

I have to admit that this is the first I have heard of this, and I have some work to do reading up on it. I think it is important that Legamus should stand up for the public domain, as most copyright consultations seem to have the intention of extending rather than relaxing copyright law. I have also posted this on the LibriVox forum.

Ruth

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Mon 3. Feb 2014, 19:32
by neckertb
I have heard about it through facebook. I am not sure how they define skateholders. I will ask at work if they know what this is about. What I saw on facebook was from musician friends for an extension of copyright indeed...

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Mon 3. Feb 2014, 20:33
by J_N
There is a questionnaire that should be filled in... I wouldn't have answers to most of the questions... they seem to me rather company/artist-sided... but it might be worth a shot to send in a questionnaire as Legamus... Legamus could even be registered in the transparancy register as an organization representing end-users (?)

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Mon 3. Feb 2014, 22:46
by Viktor
Sounds very interesting - and very time-consuming. I'm all for a good response, but it will take us time to figure it out. Let's better start sooner than later.

We do not need to answer all questions, they say.

We're not just users; we are as much "Author/Performer" as "Publisher/Producer/Broadcaster". I'd underline "Performer" and "Publisher/Producer". The project Legamus as a whole might be a "representative" of those.

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Tue 4. Feb 2014, 22:04
by J_N
Maybe we could do some brainstorming (either here or on Librivox, although Librivox [essentially not being European] probably doesn't get to have a say in this) to figure out what 'our' stand is on this?

do we want to have it all stay as it is? (I guess, yes?)
do we know of anything that could be improved? how?
have we encountered problems (as asked in several questions)? what were they? did they get resolved? how?
etc.

:?

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Tue 4. Feb 2014, 22:16
by J_N
Viktor wrote:We're not just users; we are as much "Author/Performer" as "Publisher/Producer/Broadcaster". I'd underline "Performer" and "Publisher/Producer". The project Legamus as a whole might be a "representative" of those.
well, yes... but in the sense it's used in the questionnaire I think it's more a "someone who produces something that they wish to put under copyright" - which we don't... we want to use what's in the public domain and keep it in the public domain (sometimes with slight restrictions to its use but essentially PD)... and we hope they don't make things more difficult for us... :)

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Wed 5. Feb 2014, 11:25
by Viktor
That's the common way: users want shorter times of protection, producers want longer ones. I think that we are in a special niche: we are producers who want shorter times! and maybe we are more interesting when we present ourselves as such.

Here are some more pointers, from the blog of a FSFE fellow:
http://mina86.com/2014/01/31/review-of- ... ght-rules/

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Thu 6. Feb 2014, 23:25
by Hokuspokus
I only saw this today. (really should learn how to use RRS)

We, Legamus should take part in this. I had a quick lock between cooking, will have a more serious look tomorrow.

It's only English. They don't really want input, as it seems. I can read this bureaucracy English and understand most of it, but I can't write it. There must be so many "stakeholders" (had to look this up) all over EU who can't even read this. Maybe (as I, not as Legamus) should answer this in German, assuming that they can read it as well as they assume that I can read their questions. Makes me angry, really.

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Thu 6. Feb 2014, 23:34
by J_N
Yeah, I was confused by this as well... because German, English and French are the 3 main languages... (when you apply for any job, you have be fluent in at least one of those) and for official communication they actually have to go completely multi-lingual... some of the information is available in German, but the questionnaire is only English... :evil:

I don't have any problem in understanding any of it language-wise... but I wouldn't really know how to answer any of the questions... but if someone wants to draft something in German I'd be happy to translate it into English :)

Edit: I just remembered: during my studies we learned that the EU has to except communication in any of the 24 official languages, so German is fine :D [still content-wise I am a bit at a loss... although the page Viktor linked to is quite helpful in that regard]

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Fri 7. Feb 2014, 09:41
by Hokuspokus
OK, I read it completely.

There are only some points that have an interest for Legamus.
- different special rules in single countries, like the French one for authors who died in WW1, King James Bible, Peter Pan, rule of shorter term
There should be the same rules and exceptions all over EU

- Length of copyright (I didn't know that there is such as thing as the Berne convention that says 50 years.
Shorter, of course. 50 years as stated in the Berne Convention, preferably 25.

Does it really make sense for us to take part in this? After reading this completely I'm not so sure any more. Might be better if as many of us take part in this simplified version http://copywrongs.eu/
But I don't know who these people are.

And yes,
Responses may, however, be sent in any of the 24 official languages of the EU.
At the end of page 3 :roll:

Re: European Copyright consultation

Posted: Fri 7. Feb 2014, 13:01
by J_N
Doing the short form is definitely less work :) I am just not sure whether doing it 'properly' might have more of an impact...?