Buma/Stemra has responded positively to statements by European Commissioner Neelie Kroes about the liberalisation of the European music market. Ms. Kroes was referring to developments that will allow online music shops to obtain copyright licences more quickly and simply. It will become easier for consumers to purchase music from foreign websites.
‘It's a hopelessly outdated situation, the idea that a music copyright organisation such as Buma/Stemra should only be able to issue licences to Internet music shops in its own country for distribution within its own country,’ says Cees Vervoord, Chairman of the Board of Buma/Stemra. ‘We have been pressing for a number of years now for the borders to be opened. The European Commission's wait-and-see attitude seems finally to be coming to an end.’
‘Untenable position’
Music copyright is handled in Europe by a local music copyright organisation in each country, which then gets authorisations from its sister organisations in other countries to represent foreign authors' rights as well. ‘But that authority stops at the national border,’ says Vervoord. ‘A company that wants to sell music on the Internet has to go round all those organisations and get a licence from each if it wants to operate internationally. We believe that's an untenable position, both commercially and under European law.’
Expanding activities
Buma/Stemra acknowledges that open borders may mean competition on the Dutch market. ‘We have every confidence that we can handle the situation. We have been assuming for a number of years that the growth of the Internet is going to mean major changes. We would very much like to extend our activities into other countries,’ explains Vervoord, ‘and that scenario has now come a step closer.’