Last month, the Juncker Commission announced that the modernization of Europe’s copyright directive (the “InfoSoc Directive”) is one of the key priorities in the development of a digital single market. Since the adoption of the Directive in 2001, some have argued that the current European copyright rules are not only outdated, but also inappropriate for the new digital environment in which consumers operate.
The experience of publishers, however, negates the claims that copyright rules are not fit for purpose in the digital age. Copyright not only enables publishers to monetize their content, thereby continuing to fulfill their key role of informing the public, but it also allows them to get a return on the investments they have made in producing quality, professional content, as well as in technical innovations and digitization.
Henk Scheenstra, COO Content Media, and Jojanneke van der Noordt, Senior Legal Counsel of Sanoma Media Netherlands explored this topic in the 2014-2015 EMMA Magazine, writing that digitization has not reduced the need for copyright, but increased it.
“In our experience, copyright has not been a barrier to reaching out to consumers in the digital age. It has, rather, allowed us to be innovative and able to reach more readers than ever, in the knowledge that our content is protected.”
Sanoma Media Netherlands has invested many resources into improving the accessibility of content for consumers while maintaining a sustainable business model. In addition to developing a dynamic content platform, which enables Sanoma to build new products per brand or area of interest, they also began to work closely with Blendle, the Dutch start-up that bills itself as the “iTunes of journalism” to increase the availability of its digital content. These initiatives are only possible, said Scheenstra and van der Noordt, as long as publishers are able to continue to invest in providing diverse, professional content and further adapt the business model to continue to meet consumer demands.
“Sanoma, like all publishers across Europe, depends on the current, carefully balanced EU copyright framework to deliver independent, professional content to millions of EU citizens every day on both print and digital platforms,” writes Scheenstra and van der Noordt, “It is the current framework which has allowed us to invest with confidence in new business models to adapt to the realities of today.”
Digitization has therefore not reduced but increased the need for the protection of copyright, and any new exceptions would represent a direct threat to publishers’ economic sustainability and ability to develop digital business models. This would also certainly impact media pluralism, compromising the freedom of expression that is fundamental to a democratic society.
These trends will be examined more in-depth in the upcoming Future Media Lounge session, “Innovations in Digital Media: Why accessing content has never been easier”, which will take place on 5 May 2015 in the European Parliament. The session will feature presentations by Gerard De Graaf, director of DG Connect in the European Commission; Dominic Young, CEO of Copyright Hub in the UK; MEP Virginie Rozière, S&D, France; and Andrew Farrow, project coordinator of the Rights Data Integration project.
