"It is in this new generation that there is real growth potential for Europe," says Ms Reding, describing the age group as "digital natives."
The commission believes that as these individuals grow older and their purchasing power increases, greater internet use has the potential to create around one million jobs in Europe and generate €850 billion in economic activity.
The claim is supported by a recent World Bank study that estimates every 10 percent of additional broadband penetration yields 1.3 percent in economic growth"
“The logic is quite straightforward: You find a way of creating a
payment within the network,” says Gerd Leonhard, a media futurist and
author...Although a similar idea failed in France in 2006 amid a fierce
lobbying effort by the recording industry, Mr. Leonhard has long argued
that if the recording industry licensed Internet networks with a
flatrate for streaming and downloading music, then advertising and
other subsidies would be able to cover the entire CD business. He
doesn’t even think the Isle of Man’s tax is necessary.
“The payment of about €1 [$1.28] per week, which we have been
debating in Europe as a flat rate, is entirely possible to raise
through the ecosystem. The music won’t be free, but it will feel like
free,” he says, in an interview from Austria. Business models like Leonhard’s are becoming more feasible as concert
tours, merchandise, and endorsements become more lucrative than
recordings. “When Prince gives away his CD away with a British Sunday newspaper,
he knows that he will be guaranteed three sold-out shows. That is worth
more to him than the recording,” Leonhard says...."
Author and futurist Leonhard says the recording industry is fighting an
uphill battle: “The tactic of criminalizing users hasn’t produced any
money. The industry needs to look for compensation, not control.”
"The simple truth is that copyright extension benefits most those who already hold rights. It benefits incumbent holders of major back-catalogues, be they record companies, ageing rock stars or, increasingly, artists’ estates. It does nothing for innovation and creativity. The proposed Term Extension Directive undermines the credibility of the copyright system. It will further alienate a younger generation that, justifiably, fails to see a principled basis. Many of us sympathise with the financial difficulties that aspiring performers face. However, measures to benefit performers would look rather different. They would target unreasonably exploitative contracts during the existing term, and evaluate remuneration during the performer’s lifetime, not 95 years..."
Read my various comments comments on Copyright 2.0 here
"On a fundamental scale, it's a human right that someone who writes a piece of work should have control of it," Gibb said in a statement, adding that a change could discourage newer songwriters from producing tomorrow's hits"
True enough - that would be nice. If it was still feasible. If this was still a disconnected and / or centrally controlled world. If permission-denied would actually mean it's not possible. If lack of license means no use. If refusal means maintaining control. If value is defined by having control.
The thing is, Berry: we don't live in this world anymore. Once we release something it's the users fka consumers that control it's use - and we urgently need to find a way of making what they already do legal. This illusion of total control is not going to generate benefits for creators and rights-holders.
"We say for instance to the Chinese, very clearly so, that their blocking of certain Internet content is absolutely unacceptable,' said Viviane Reding, the European Commissioner for Information Society and Media...'So Europe speaks up in this sense, and is fighting for the freedom of speech and the freedom to receive the news,' she said."
Image by gleonhard via Flickr
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