Study: Blanket Licence For Non-Commercial Copies Needed

A blanket licence for non-commercial copies is the logical answer to the technology revolution brought on by the internet. This is the conclusion of a study by the Institute of European Media Law commissioned by the German Green Party and presented in Berlin on 3 April. The study argues that a blanket licence would not violate the fundamental property rights of authors, and is a must for remuneration for digital copies that cannot be contained and are not paid for today. To oblige every internet user to pay is justified by the end which is nothing less that the reorganisation of the culture market and an adjustment to the technology of the 21st century.

The money collected by internet service providers could be distributed by existing or new collecting societies, it said. These already collect copyright fees for printers, computers, mobile phones and other devices. Premium content and shared content could coexist economically, the authors said, because of better usability, and speedier and granted virus-free downloads. Read the study here [pdf in German, English will be posted later if available].