EU copyright proposals stay on line

Date: 08/04/1999

By Peter Chapman

THE European Commission is pressing ahead with work on its proposals for new copyright rules for the digital era, despite the current freeze on launching new political initiatives until a new team of Commissioners takes office.

Officials say the institution is treaty-bound to come forward with revised proposals following the European Parliament's vote on the issue in February, signalling where it agrees with the changes demanded by MEPs and where it does not.

Industry lobbyists had feared the mass resignation of the Commission would stall this key part of the EU's complex 'co-decision' process, significantly delaying agreement on an anxiously awaited piece of EU legislation.

But a spokeswoman for Acting Internal Market Commissioner Mario Monti said this week that the institution could go ahead as planned because Monti had signalled his views on the Parliament's amendments before the Commission stood down.

" This means it is not a new initiative," she insisted, although she added that the new text would not be ready this month because of the complicated issues involved. "This is not blocked, but there may be some delays for technical reasons. A lot of work had to be done and it will not be ready tomorrow."

Monti told MEPs in February that he was opposed to moves to tighten controls on 'incidental' copying of data over computer networks, which some claim could place an onerous burden on Internet service providers and telecoms operators.

MEPs said this copying, which automatically arises over the Internet, was acceptable - but only if it was authorised by rights holders. This has infuriated the industry, which claims that companies would have to keep track of every piece of information passing over their networks and believes they could be left wide open to law suits for breaches of copyright.

Monti also attacked moves to allow broadcasters to use digital-quality archives without permission from artists.

EU governments have already begun to grapple with the copyright issue pending the late arrival of the latest Commission text. Sources say initial debate is focusing on countries' lists of the specific exemptions they want to grant from the copyright rules.

" France wants an exemption from copyright for parody, while Greece wants one for religious pictures, and another wants official buildings to be exempted so that they can be photographed and filmed," said one industry source.