Reward the creators, not the distributorsWill Hutton (“Are we finally reacting to the disruptive supremacy of Facebook and Google?”, Comment, last week) could have also mentioned the Gutenberg printing press, which democratised the making available of man’s creative spirit. Publishers find online professional journalism is soaring in popularity, but remuneration is elusive. However, soaring revenues go easily to dominant platforms and aggregators, which help themselves to press content through systematic “scraping” of websites, copying vast quantities of copyright-protected text, images and video, which they make available to millions without any reward going to the creators and producers of that content.The European commission has recognised that this parasitic behaviour risks the long-term impoverishment of those who invest in professional journalism, threatening jobs, titles and future innovation. It has proposed a remedy: to grant press publishers a neighbouring right (in the copyright reform package currently before the European parliament), ensuring that publishers can also monetise their content. Yet those very companies that benefit from lack of clarity about who owns the content they “scrape” have mounted a vast lobby against this. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
The Booksellers Association has welcomed the European Commission’s promise to take a closer look at the unfair trading practices in platform-to-business relationships. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission is considering a new law to deal with unfair trading practices after deciding further action is necessary to promote fairness and responsibility of online platforms such as Amazon. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German news publishers suing Google for copyright dues under a 2013 law may get more than they bargained for, with implications for readers and newspapers throughout the EU.Rather than rule in their favor, the Berlin court hearing their case has raised doubts about the validity of the very law... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Commission ruled last week that booksellers must now fulfill orders from customers anywhere in the European Union. Some fear the shift will force small and medium-sized booksellers out of the ebook business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's offer to remove its controversial "Most Favoured Nation" (MFN) clauses from its ebook contracts has been accepted and made legally binding by the European Commission. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission has accepted Amazon's changes to how it sells its ebooks. Following a 2015 investigation over the retailer's anti-competitive behaviour, Amazon said back in January that it would change its ebook contracts, removing clauses t... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2017-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reward the creators, not the distributorsWill Hutton (“Are we finally reacting to the disruptive supremacy of Facebook and Google?”, Comment, last week) could have also mentioned the Gutenberg printing press, which democratised the making available of man’s creative spirit. Publishers find... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Perhaps nowhere is there such a jubilant response to the European Commission's pressure on Amazon than in Germany. The Börsenverein hails the week's events. The post German Publishers Association Cheers EC Commitments from Amazon: ‘Another Victory for Publishers’ appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Further plans for libraries to be able to lend ebooks were discussed this week at the European Commission. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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European publishers and booksellers have welcomed the decision of the European Commission to allow VAT to be reduced on ebooks, with sales now bound to go up, according to booksellers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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His Dark Materials author has appealed for EU directive to be introduced in Britain, to block ‘unfair practices that currently prevent authors making a living’His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman has welcomed a “badly need[ed]” new proposal from the European Commission that would protect... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission has released a new raft of proposals for copyright reform as part of its Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy, with one clause suggesting that authors should have the opportunity to renegotiate contracts where renumeration is “disproportionately low” relative to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A proposed reform of European Union copyright law grants online news publishers additional rights that could lead to the closure of services such as Google News if strictly enforced.Copyright law already provides reporters with protection for the news stories they publish, but in a draft... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2016-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission has been criticised by the US Treasury Department over its investigations into American companies' alleged tax avoidance, it has been reported. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A public consultation has formally been launched by the European Commission to address the inconsistency in VAT rates on print and electronically supplied publications. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two leading trade bodies in the book industry are turning towards lobbying the UK competition authorities over Amazon as opposed to the European Commission following Brexit. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette CEO Arnaud Nourry said defeating the European Commission's copyright proposals should be the IPA's "number one" goal. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission has committed to reducing VAT rates on ebooks, in an Action Plan announced today; The Bookseller understands later detailed proposals will allow states to reduce VAT on ebooks to as low as 5%. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Customers will be able to access online services providing ebooks, films, music and sports broadcasts under newly proposed rules from the European Commission. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission has no plans to weaken copyright, but wants a "targeted" and "balanced" reform with concrete benefits for consumers and right holders, Gunther Oettinger, the member of the European Commission with responsibility for the Digital Economy and Society, has told the Frankfurt... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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