Study on Emerging Issues on Collective Licensing Practices in the Digital Environment

Abstract

Collective management of copyright and related rights is an important element of the copyright system. First and foremost, it can ensure that rightholders reap greater rewards. By exploiting economies of scale and network effects, collective management can also make markets for copyright licences more efficient, to benefit users and other stakeholders. This study examines two central aspects of collective management of copyright and related rights in Europe.

Part I documents the development of multi-territorial licensing of online rights in musical works in the European Economic Area (EEA) under Title III of Directive 2014/26/EU on Collective management of copyright and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in musical works for online use in the internal market (CRM Directive). It highlights the consequences of legal and regulatory reform, based on pervasive quantitative and qualitative data – produced in surveys, interviews and a workshop with stakeholders – and collected among collective management organisations (CMOs), rightholders, online music service providers, and national competent authorities.

Part II examines national mechanisms of collective licensing with an extended effect and their main elements in EEA Member States. It is based on extensive input by a comprehensive network of national experts, complemented by surveys of CMOs, as well as interviews with national competent authorities.

The present study provides a legal and economic analysis that can serve as input for the European Commission to draft the reports required by Article 40 of the CRM Directive and Article 12(6) of the Directive 2019/790/EU on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market (DSM Directive).

Keywords: copyright, Europe, collective management, multi-territorial licensing, collective licensing, extended effect, online, music, digital