Convergence Conversation

To reflect a something wider than the halls in Brussels, I have set up a new camp which I invite all of you to come find me at:

music2020.com

I will no longer be updating this page you are reading, so please make sure all your RSS feeds, bookmarks, etc. all point to the new home.

Thanks for all your support. See you there!

-Dominic.

Today was the last chance for the Czech Presidency to give performers a fair copyright term.

Everything was in place. The Commission had drafted the Term of Protection Directive. The Parliament had made some amendments and approved it. The Parliament even took on board the amendments from the Council of the EU. Within the Council, the majority of the 27 ministers from EU states (which form the Council) had shown their support. All that was left was for the Czech Presidency to put copyright term on the COREPER agenda today.

They didn’t.

And their Presidency ends this month. They have missed their opportunity to get a key piece of legislation through the European process. More...

What would you do if you were Prime Minister? That was the provocative question to Alan Johnson at PPL’s AGM yesterday. He was asked whether he would rather see illegal downloaders sued by the rightholders or dealt with in some way by the ISPs. Sensibly, being the Health Secretary, he ducked the question, not wishing to tread on the toes of his ministerial colleagues, but he did paint an enticing picture of inviting Lavinia Carey (who had asked the question) to No.10 and discussing the subject during a tour of the gardens, with officials at the ready to convert those discussions into solution and action. More...

While there has been so much bad press about our politicians, it is worth reflecting on this small insight into the work they do that does not hit the front pages. Individually, a number of MEPs took time to talk to a wide range of people about the proposal and read up on its likely effects. More...

They have voted. All 785 MEPs cast their lots for or against musicians in the Plenary Session of the European Parliament this morning in Strasbourg.

The result was 387 in favour, 152 against, with 60 abstaining.

Now we wait to see if the Council will step up to the mark and give similar support to musicians.

The Waiting Game goes on. The European Commission and the Parliament both want to give us a fair copyright term. The Council has not yet reached an agreement.

It seems that a minority of individual countries are blocking the proposal so we continue to wait while political deals are done behind closed doors. Of course, reaching agreement between 785 MEPs, 27 Member States and a couple of dozen Directorates of the Commission is always going to be a challenge. But here we have two of the three European institutions agreeing, together with a majority of the Member States. Surely it is time for an agreement? More...

The sun was shining in Brussels. Despite the disappointments of the previous few days, musicians gathered to meet politicians, determined to remind them of the true purpose of the Term of Protection Directive. Just five days earlier, a meeting of EU Member States had blocked the proposal to give performers and producers a fair copyright term. Since then, though, there had been unconfirmed reports of compromise agreements in the various political meetings.

The first musician on stage at the Fair Play 95 Reception  was Pat Halling who played violin in sessions with, among many others, Petula Clark, the Beatles, Hot Chocolate and Lulu (when she was debuting aged 14). More...

I have just been reading an exchange in the blogging pages [http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/shane_richmond/blog/2009/03/17/copyright_extension_debate_i_am_here_to_fight_the_corner_of_the_uks_musicians] of the Daily Telegraph between an academic and a musician. The academic claims the musicians won’t receive very much so it’s not worth giving it to them. The musician claims that musicians deserve every penny and that this whole process has increased their negotiating power.

What is striking is the difference in the construction of the two arguments.

You would expect an academic to have researched the subject, considered all the arguments and interrogated the evidence in order to synthesise it into a valid conclusion. More...

Sitting in on the vote in the Parliamentary Committee last month was like watching a game without knowing the rules. Now I don’t know what the game is, except it involves waiting.

The European Parliament has voted in committee and will vote in plenary next month. In between, the action moves to the Council of Ministers, where officials from the Member States meet in a working group of technocrats. All this activity takes place below the surface. The meetings are closed and no proceedings are published. Snippets of information may emerge but it is impossible to know precisely what is being discussed. More...

It was raining. It was cold and it was dark. But despite that, and the forecast of more snow, dozens of students turned out for a debate on copyright term. I made my way to the London Metropolitan University on the Holloway Road in North London to chew over the rights and wrongs of copyright term extension with three other speakers, chaired by Scott Cohen, co-founder of The Orchard.

 

The great thing about engaging in a debate with students is that the discussion is fresh and nothing is taken for granted. The evening started with the basic case for extending copyright term because of the thousands of performers who are treated as second class creators, having a shorter copyright term than other creators. More...