Open Rights Group speaks at EU Commissions Google Books hearing
By Paul Biba
Here is a precis of the speech by Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group. You can find the full text of the speech here.
“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
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.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Flexibility with limitations? Like so many others in this copyright issue, they sound conflicted. But at least they see that copyright desperately needs reform, and with an eye to the international market.
September 8th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Pois non me parece demasiado mal esta tradución de Google.