Music Publishers Association

On 27th February, UK Music asked MEPs and the EU Council to support the Copyright Directive. Read their full statement below:

“UK Music and its members have always supported constructive steps to foster a fair music Iicensing environment that benefits creators, performers and those who invest in them. We have campaigned for this together through #LoveMusic and the final compromise text of the Copyright Directive is a notable step in that direction.

In relation to Article 13, we welcome the fact that the compromise text clearly establishes that Online Content Sharing Service Providers should not be entitled to avoid the need to secure licences from rightsholders. As has been widely reported, the text of this Article in particular has been the subject of fierce and passionate debate and the final result includes a number of compromises.

With this in mind, we ask the EU Council and MEPs to support the Directive.

We call on individual member states to ensure that the Copyright Directive, if successfully adopted, is implemented in a way that achieves its original purpose and benefits the whole of the industry.”

On 28 February 2019, the British Copyright Council (BCC) made the below statement on the EU copyright directive:

“The EU copyright directive recognises an important international consensus on the challenge facing
creativity in the digital age. Notably, this legislation confirms without doubt that content-sharing
platforms should be held accountable for the copyright works they make available and from which they
profit, and through a range of other provisions encourages transparency and accountability for
European creators on whose work a richly diverse internet depends.

The final directive is a compromise following two-and-a-half years of debate, negotiation and intense
pressure from those seeking to defend an untenable status quo. The result is not perfect, but it is
important progress. However, many will now feel the need to be watchful that where certain protections
have fallen short, they will not be used to undermine the original overall objective of supporting a fair
and sustainable online future for creativity.

As we look forward to adoption of the directive by the European Parliament, the British Copyright
Council is grateful to those who have supported this much-needed updating of EU law and will continue
to champion measures, both on- and offline, that properly value copyright for the benefit of all.”

On 5th March 2019, ICMP called on European Parliament to adopt the proposed Copyright Directive. Read their full statement below:

“ICMP has worked actively with European lawmakers to achieve a Copyright Directive that establishes a level playing field for music licensing and that is fair and beneficial for all songwriters, performers, publishers and labels as well as our digital partners. We acknowledge and appreciate the great efforts of everyone supporting us in what has been a long and fierce debate.

While the final text contains numerous compromises, it is a step in the right direction – especially as Article 13 confirms a clear liability of online services for content on their platforms and requires them to obtain licenses from rightsholders. 

We therefore call on the Members of the European Parliament to adopt the proposed Copyright Directive. Thereafter ICMP will continue its work during the implementation process in individual member states to ensure that the original objectives of the Directive are achieved for the benefit of creators and the whole music publishing community.”