CREATOR BODIES STAND BEHIND COPYRIGHT DIRECTIVE

In a twist to the debate over the state of the EU Copyright Directive—which on Thursday was called to be stalled completely by rights holders—a coalition of bodies repping songwriters, artists, managers, producers and musicians has urged negotiators to proceed with the text.

Yesterday, a concerned group of 10 orgs, ranging from the IFPI and IMPALA to England’s Premier League, sent an open letter to the EU warning that the Directive’s Article 13, in its present state, “would cause serious harm… Regrettably, under these conditions we would rather have no Directive at all than a bad Directive. We therefore call on negotiators to not proceed on the basis of the latest proposals from the Council.”

But on Friday, the U.K. Council of Music Makers, which includes creator bodies BASCA, FAC, MMF, MPG and the MU, has hit back at the demand, claiming that despite “problematic provisions,” the directive is key to ensuring creators receive fair remuneration in the online world, and that it should continue on its path to adoption.

“We make the music that people want to listen to and buy. It is our intellectual property and our rights and we need the Copyright Directive to put in place reasonable and fair safeguards.

“It is hugely disappointing,” the statement continues, "to see the music labels and publishers disregard the interests of their creators and artists in this way. They are trying to overturn years of collaborative work at the 11th hour by killing the Copyright Directive.

“Like YouTube, they have lobbied negotiators hard without consulting or informing the creative community. Heavy-handed tactics of heavyweight businesses.” Ouch.

The Council claims that rights holders are trying to halt the directive not only because of the latest wording of Article 13, but “because they want to avoid the improvements to transparency and fairness that the Articles 14-16 bring.”

Final discussions on the fate of the EU Copyright Directive, and its Article 13, will take place Friday, 2/8, with a final text set to be agreed on Tuesday next week.