EU-Studie gegen Laufzeitverlängerung beim Urheberrecht

Im Auftrag der EU-Kommission wurde eine Studie zur Umsetzung der EU-Copyright Directive mit dem Titel „Recasting of copyright and related rights for the knowledge economy’“ (PDF) unter der Leitung von Prof. Bernt Hugenholtz verfasst. Die Studie ist heute veröffentlicht worden. Ein 11-Seitiges Executive Summery findet sich dort auch.

Executive Summary
This study on the ‘Recasting of copyright and related rights for the knowledge economy’ was carried out by the Institute for Information Lawi on commission by the European Commission. As does the call for tender that inspired it,ii the study covers extensive ground. Chapters 1 and 2 describe and examine the existing ‘acquis communautaire’ in the field of copyright and related
(neighbouring) rights, with special focus on inconsistencies and unclarities, while Chapters 3-6 deal with distinct issues that were identified a priori by the European Commission as meriting special attention: possible extension of the term of protection of phonograms (Chapter 3), possible alignment of the term of protection of co-written musical works (Chapter 4), the problems connected to multiple copyright ownership, including the issue of ‘orphan works’ (Chapter 5), and copyright awareness among consumers (Chapter 6). Finally, Chapter 7 provides an overall assessment of the benefits and drawbacks of the fifteen years of harmonisation of copyright and related rights in the EU and dwells on regulatory alternatives.

Beim Thema Laufzeitverlängerung von Urheberrechten sind die Autoren nicht wirklich von den Argumenten der Contentindustrie überzeugt:

The authors of this study are not convinced by the arguments made in favour of a term extension. The term of protection currently laid down in the Term Directive (50 years from fixation or other triggering event) is already well above the minimum standard of the Rome Convention (20 years), and substantially longer than the terms that previously existed in many Member States. Stakeholders have based their claim mainly on a comparison with the law of the United States, where sound recordings are protected under copyright law for exceptionally long terms (life plus 70 years or, in case of works for hire, 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation). Perceived from an international perspective the American terms are anomalous and cannot serve as a legal justification for extending the terms of related rights in the EU…