Re: [d@DCC] EU warns collecting agencies about internet monopolies

From: Neil Leyton <leyton _-at-_ fadingwaysmusic.com>
To: General Discussion <discuss (at) digital-copyright.ca>
Date: Wed, 05 May 2004 11:07:03 -0400
References: <p05100302bcbcdfe9508d@[69.196.128.96]> <Pine.LNX.4.58.0405042249100.6399@calcutta.flora.ca>

Russell,

Well, I'll need to think about this further. I mean, I have no great 
love for SOCAN and  CMRRA, but  I'm not  certain that having additional 
societies created to collect on behalf  of songwriters would help 
matters any...

Right now my focus is on starting an International C.Commons Labels 
Association off the ground... maybe in the future I may devote some time 
to tackling the problems with Socan...

I'd rather send in complaints about the big 5 labels to the competition 
bureau : )

N.

 McOrmond wrote:

>  Neil (and other musicians on the list),
>
>  I am wondering if you and a group of independent labels could get 
>together and send in complaints to the competition bureau about CPCC.  I'm 
>thinking of collectives that apply to entire categories of works rather 
>than those that license members works and charges royalties only for 
>members work.
>
>  The problem I see may be that the "answer" will be to encourage more 
>royalty-bearing societies to collect even larger levies which is not what 
>I would consider ideal.  We may want to think a bit more as a group as to 
>what we want the intended outcome to be, and to think of unintended 
>consequences.
>
>
>  I sent this report to a contact at the bureau, and she said that there 
>would be interest to look into this if there were actually complaints.  
>There are no collective societies for software (fortunately, and hopefully 
>never), so this is an issue that a musician like yourself can help pursue 
>if it is seen to be helpful to independent artists.
>
>
>A fellow copyright friend (who's name I've removed) wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Internet music copyright rules worry EU
>>  Mon 3 May, 2004 11:23
>>
>>  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission has warned societies which
>>collect royalties on behalf of musicians that they may be breaking
>>competition rules by extending their national monopolies into the world of
>>the Internet.
>>
>>"The European Commission has warned 16 organisations that collect royalties
>>on behalf of music authors that their so-called Santiago agreement is
>>potentially in breach of EU competition rules," it said in a statement on
>>Monday.
>>
>>It said this was because the cross-licensing arrangements that the societies
>>had between each other caused an effective lock up of national territories,
>>which extended to the Internet the national monopolies the societies have
>>held in the off-line world.
>>
>>"The Commission believes that there should be competition between collecting
>>societies to the benefit of companies that offer music on the Internet and
>>to consumers that listen to it."
>>
>>http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=503418&section=news
>>    
>>
>
>
>  
>


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