Reforms to the EU-wide Copyright Licensing Structure

European Commission proposes reforms to the EU-wide copyright licensing structure to promote online music services.

The European Commission believes that online music distribution can be a driving force for overall online services, particularly for broadband services, and it has concluded that existing copyright licensing structures across the EU present a barrier to the effective development of an EU-wide online music market. The Commission has published its conclusions in an in-depth study "on a Community initiative on the cross-border collective management of copyright".

The problem with the existing structure

According to the study, the existing cross-border arrangements for the management of collective copyrights "do not function in an optimal manner and hamper the development of an innovative market for the provision of online music services". The study describes the main problems with existing cross-border collective management of copyright, including discriminatory