Speaking at the EU Commission's Google Books hearing today, Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group said:
"We must not see this dispute as simply a process to deliver a compromise between two commercial interests.
"Instead we must ask how best to deliver the wealth of European and world literature – and other cultural works – to citizens.
"European literature may shortly be more widely available in the US than in Europe. This would be ironic, regrettable and damaging to European cultures. It is also unnecessary.
"We think we must now accept that there is something very wrong with EU copyright law. The incontrovertible evidence is that it needs substantial reform every time an innovative service using copyright works comes along.
"Copyright, having acted as an economic incentive to production, is now acting in Europe as a barrier to commercial and academic availability.
"We need a limitation to copyright to allow the search and indexing of copyright content.
"European economies need a much more flexible copyright regime, or we stand to lose out in culture, innovation and jobs."
Other key points:
The public needs Google Books or services like it
We need competition between services
Copyright licensing needs both licensor information and collective agreements
DRM needs regulation
The public domain needs protecting
Academia needs the full benefits
And our European economies need a much more flexible copyright regime, or we stand to lose out in culture, innovation and jobs
Read the full text of Jim's speech here.
Chris Warren:
Sep 08, 2009 at 01:35 PM
At last, a voice of sanity in the on-going arguments. Until we have a complete revision of copyright law to deal effectively with modern literature needs the wrangling will go around in ever decreasing circles until the inevitable happens.
Chris Warren
Author and Freelance Writer
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