Commissioner Barnier delivers compelling speech on copyright

This week, Commissioner Michel Barnier in charge of the Internal market said I am not in the business of blaming copyright for everything that does not work in the Internet. I am also not in the business of denying that rules need to be modernised and adapted where the evidence is there. What I want is a more rational debate. A frank exchange to identify practical and sustainable solutions to precisely-identified problems.We all know that there are many reasons for these problems. Many have nothing to do with copyright: inadequate broadband capacity, the commercial choices of service providers, the cost of payment services are only a few.But I am determined to ensure that copyright is not among the obstacles. Copyright cannot be a barrier. It must be an enabler.

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12-785_en.htm?locale=FR

FEP fully shares this view and will make sure that publishers are associated to any further exercise to increase access to books across Europe. For example, FEP has been actively associated to the ARROW project (facilitating the identification of the right status of works) and in a taskforce implementing the MoU on out of commerce works.