[A2k] TACD issues Resolution on copyright terms

[Anne-Catherine Lorrain]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Dear All,

Please find below a press release about the Resolution issued today by the
TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue on the Terms of Protection for Copyright an=
d
Related Rights, and Measures to Expand Access to Works not Exploited by
Copyright Owners.

------------

PRESS RELEASE =96 July 1st, 2009

New TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) resolution calls on policy maker=
s
to consider measures to moderate the harm caused by long terms of copyright
and related rights.

The TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) today issued a Resolution on the
Terms of Protection for Copyright and Related Rights, and Measures to Expan=
d
Access to Works not Exploited by Copyright Owners (the Resolution is
accessible on
http://www.tacd.org/index2.php?option=3Dcom_docman&task=3Ddoc_view&gid=3D23=
6&Itemid=3D40).


The TACD is a trade advisory body to the European Union and the U.S.
Government, with 80 member organizations in Europe and the United States.

The regimes for copyright and related rights, including the terms of
protection, vary by country and by types of work, and are regulated by a
complicated web of global trade rules.  The TACD resolution expresses
opposition to copyright and related that exceed the period required by the
WTO TRIPS agreement.  In cases where this recommendation is not followed,
TACD asks governments to introduce measures, such as limitations and
exceptions to rights, or registration requirements, to mitigate the harm
from long terms of protection.

TACD first discussed the Resolution with representatives from the European
Union and the U.S. Government on June 9th, 2009, during the TACD 10th Annua=
l
Meeting in Brussels.

The following are comments about the Resolution from members of the TACD
(Quotes are arranged in alphabetical order):

Edouard Barreiro, UFC-Que Choisir (Paris, France), +33 (0)1 44 93 19 67
=93Each time the duration of copyright protection is extended, it creates
significant harmful effects, increasing the private income of some, which
does not foster investment or research, and hinders innovation and
creation.=94

Jill Johnstone, Consumer Focus (London, UK) +44 207 799 7900
=93Excessive terms of protection for copyright and related rights shrink th=
e
public domain, threaten consumers=92 access to knowledge and hinder innovat=
ion
by creative communities.  Terms of protection in the EU and US should not
exceed those required by the WTO TRIPs Agreement.  The =93arms race=94 appr=
oach
to copyright term extension must stop.=94

Eddan Katz, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), San Francisco, CA (USA) +=
1
415 436 9333 ext. 133
=93The perpetual extension of copyright protection does not incentivize
creativity and innovation, nor does it facilitate the dissemination of
culture to the public. Term extension has served only to extend a windfall
to the few and powerful incumbent copyright holders. This proposal and
resolution brings back evidence-based decision-making for advancing the
balance of interests among society's stakeholders in copyright legislation.=
=94

Anne-Catherine Lorrain, TACD (Brussels, Belgium), +32 (0)2 740 28 17
"Policy-makers should ground policy decisions on objective evidence and
analysis.  In the event that longer terms of copyright protection are
adopted, they still have the option to counter-balance the harmful effects
of such policies, by adopting several measures to improve public access to
knowledge goods.  This resolution provides both a framework for making
policy, and suggestions for lessening harmful impacts of bad policies."

James Love, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), Washington, DC (US), +1
202 332 2670:
=93Extended terms of copyright have decimated the public domain at a time w=
hen
there is a growing awareness of the value of re-using and re-purposing work=
s
in digital formats.  The TACD resolution provides a framework for policy
analysis, and also identifies several ways to mitigating the harm of term
extensions, within the constraints of the WTO TRIPS Agreement.  Among the
strategies proposed are requirements for registration of works in the
extended term of protection, and more liberal exceptions or compulsory
licensing of works in the extended terms.=94

Thomas Nortvedt, the Consumer Council of Norway, Oslo, +47 23 400 522
"Copyright law is under pressure from both consumers and rights holders. To
uphold and increase the respect for copyright, it is paramount that
legislation is reasonable, understandable and justifiable for all parties
involved. This resolution underlines important aspects to be taken into
account for legislators on both sides of the Atlantic, such as thorough pee=
r
reviewed assessments before increasing protection beyond what is required
under international agreements, and making demands when rights holders do
not exploit works the public should have access to.=94

Kostas Rossoglou, European Consumers=92 Organisation (BEUC), Brussels
(Belgium), +32 (0)2 790 24 04:
=93BEUC fully supports the right for artists to fair remuneration; however,
extended copyright terms are not the right instrument to achieve this aim.
Extending a temporary monopoly without sound economic justification, does
not facilitate the search for new business models, nor address the need for
the increased provision of legal content.  Copyright should aim to keep a
balance between rights holders and society as a whole.  This balance risks
to be seriously altered by recent proposals to extend the terms of copyrigh=
t
protection, notably in the EU.  BEUC calls on EU Member States and the new
European Parliament to duly consider the recommendations included in the
TACD Resolution.=94

Sherwin Siy, Public Knowledge, Washington, DC (US), +1 202 518 00 20
"For too long, legislatures have accepted uncritically the assertions of
industry that longer copyright terms necessarily lead to more creation.
However, as terms reach multigenerational lengths, mounting evidence has
shown that long terms can chill discussion, debate, analysis and revisiting
of existing works, to the detriment of our society at large.  Because of
this, any proposed extension of terms must be rigorously shown to actually
benefit all of society, and not just specific segments of industry."

Contact:
James Love, KEI, Washington, DC, US co-Chair of TACD Policy Committee on
Intellectual Property, +1 202 332 26 70
Jill Johnstone, Consumer Focus, London, EU co-Chair of TACD Policy Committe=
e
on Intellectual Property, +44 207 799 79 00
Anne-Catherine Lorrain, TACD IP Project, Brussels, +32 473 99 97 92
Julian Knott, TACD Coordinator, London, +44 207 226 66 63 ext. 218

See also
http://www.tacd-ip.org/blog/2009/07/01/tacd-issues-resolution-on-copyright-=
terms
.

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COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE - 1er juillet 2009

Avec l=92adoption d=92une nouvelle r=E9solution, le Dialogue TransAtlantiqu=
e des
Consommateurs (TACD) appelle les d=E9cideurs politiques =E0 compenser les e=
ffets
pernicieux caus=E9s par les trop longues dur=E9es de protection des droits
d=92auteur et droits voisins.

Le TACD a aujourd=92hui adopt=E9 une R=E9solution sur les dur=E9es de prote=
ction du
droit d=92auteur et des droits voisins, et sur les mesures propres =E0 am=
=E9liorer
l=92acc=E8s aux =9Cuvres non exploit=E9es par les titulaires de droits (la
R=E9solution est accessible sur http://www.tacd.org).

Le TACD est un organisme consultatif repr=E9sentant pr=E8s de 80 associatio=
ns de
consommateurs am=E9ricaines et europ=E9ennes.

Le r=E9gime du droit d=92auteur et des droits voisins, dont la d=E9terminat=
ion de
la dur=E9e de protection des droits, varie d=92un pays et d=92un type d=92=
=9Cuvre =E0
l=92autre, en se doublant d=92un faisceau de r=E8gles de commerce internati=
onal
souvent complexe. La r=E9solution du TACD exprime l=92opposition des
consommateurs aux dur=E9es de protection des droits allant au-del=E0 des
dispositions des Accords ADPIC de l=92OMC. Dans l=92hypoth=E8se o=F9 cette
recommandation n=92est pas respect=E9e, le TACD demande aux gouvernements d=
e
mettre en place des mesures propres =E0 contrebalancer les effets pervers d=
es
longues dur=E9es de protection des droits, telles la prise en compte
d=92exceptions aux droits exclusifs, ou des mesures d=92enregistrement des
=9Cuvres.

Cette R=E9solution a d=92abord fait l=92objet d=92une discussion avec les
repr=E9sentants de l=92Union Europ=E9enne et du gouvernement am=E9ricain, =
=E0
l=92occasion du Sommet Annuel du TACD qui s=92est tenu =E0 Bruxelles les 8 =
et 9
juin 2009.

-------
Anne-Catherine Lorrain
Intellectual Property Policy Project
The TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD)
80, rue d'Arlon, B-1040 Bruxelles
aclorrain@consint.org
aclorrain@gmail.com
Mob (Belgium): +32 473 99 97 92
Tel: +32 2 740 28 17, Fax: +32 2 740 28 02
www.tacd.org
www.tacd-ip.org/blog