Last week the European Parliament adopted a resolution on private copying levies. The initiative for the motion came from Ms Francoise Castex MEP (Socialists and Democrats).
The European Parliament believes that “the private copying system is a virtuous system that balances the right to copying for private use with fair remuneration to rightholders, and that it is a system worth preserving.” The motion emphasizes that in times of budget austerity, private copying levies constitute a vital source of revenue for the cultural sector, and particularly for the performance arts, and “that the major disparities between national systems for the collection of levies, especially as regards the types of product subject to the levy and the rates of levy, can distort competition”.
The motion therefore calls on the Commission to “look for common ground as regards which products should be subject to the levy and to harmonise the negotiating arrangement for the rates applicable to private copying, with a view to enforcing a system that is transparent, equitable and uniform for consumers and creators”.
In short: private copying levies benefit all parties concerned, according to the European Parliament. But do they really? And how should a European private copying system be organized? We would like to hear your reaction to statements that are partially based on this motion.
You will find 8 statements below and in the right column of this site. If you want, you can attach your name to your survey answers. Or, if you want the result to be anonymous, just leave out your name and email address. If you have additional comments, you can either mail them to us or leave them in the comment section under this blogpost. The poll will remain open until 25 April . The results of the poll will be discussed in a special post. Previous blogs about this topic can be found here.
Please respond to the 8 statements below.
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