Other actions - Content Online
Public consultation on
"Content Online"
October 2009
The digital "dematerialisation" of content presents great opportunities for
Europe, but also a number of challenges. First of all, obstacles still stand in
the way of digital distribution of cultural products and services. In addition,
illegal downloads on a large scale can jeopardize the development of an
economically viable single market for digital content. Finally, there needs to
be much more encouragement for legal cross-border offers. The consultation paper
outlines the existing challenges for three groups of stakeholders – rightholders,
consumers and commercial users – in order to start a reflection on possible
European responses.
With this public consultation the Commission's services wish to launch a wide-ranging debate on how to develop vibrant online markets for goods and services protected by intellectual property rights. The consultation addresses the role of legal online markets and explores a variety of copyright management models that may induce a more rapid development of such markets.
All interested parties are invited to comment on the ideas raised in this reflection paper, and in particular on the "Possible Actions" outlined in Chapter 5 by
- 5 January 2010 -
in electronic format. All submissions will be published on the Commission’s website unless otherwise requested. Confidential contributions should be clearly labelled at the top of the first page. Should you want to add a cover letter please do so in a separate document. In case your comments exceed four pages, please provide an executive summary.
Consultation
paper:
Creative Content in a European Digital Single Market:
Challenges for the Future
A Reflection Document of DG INFSO and DG MARKT
October 2009
Press
release:
European Commission launches reflection on a Digital Single Market for Creative
Content Online (22/10/2009)
Submissions
should be mailed to:
avpolicy@ec.europa.eu and to markt-d1@ec.europa.eu
Read
the specific privacy statement
Strategy for "Creative Content Online"
In 2008, the Commission adopted a policy paper on creative content online - building on a 2006 consultation process and launching further measures to support the cross-border delivery of online content. The Communication launched the 2008 consultation process and identified 4 main areas requiring EU action:
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availability of creative content – if online content services are to develop, more good content is needed, actively licensed and accurately priced for use via the new platforms.
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multi-territory licensing of creative content - the lack of multi-country copyright licences makes it difficult for online content to fully benefit from potential access to the entire EU market.
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digital rights management systems (DRMs) – these technologies, often used to restrict access to high-value content (e.g. sports and movies), need to be made more interoperable, i.e. designed to work with all types of hard- and software.
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piracy / unauthorized file-sharing - cooperation is needed between service providers, producers and consumers, to:
- ensure an adequate online supply of easily available and attractive content
- adequately protect copyrighted works
- raise awareness that copyright secures a legitimate reward for producers.
The Communication also proposed a stakeholder discussion group - the "Content online platform" – to look at forthcoming challenges. The final report on the Content Online Platform has been published in May 2009.
