The Implementation, Application and Effects of the EU Directive on Copyright in the Information Society Andrea Renda, Felice Simonelli, Giuseppe Mazziotti, Alberto Bolognini and Giacomo Luchetta No. 120 / November 2015 Abstract This study provides an ex-post evaluation of the EU copyright framework as provided by EU Directive 29/2001 on Copyright in the Information Society (InfoSoc Directive) and related legislation, focusing on four key criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and relevance. The evaluation finds that the EU copyright framework scores poorly on all four accounts. Of the four main goals pursued by the InfoSoc, only the alignment with international legislation can be said to have been fully achieved. The wider framework on copyright still generates costs by inhibiting content production, distribution and creation and generating productive, allocative and dynamic inefficiencies. Several problems also remain in terms of both internal and external coherence. Finally, despite its overall importance and relevance as a domain of legislation in the fields of content and media, the EU copyright framework is outdated in light of technological developments. Policy options to reform the current framework are provided in the CEPS companion study on the functioning and efficiency of the Digital Single Market in the field of copyright (CEPS Special Report No. 121/November 2015). ISBN 978-94-6138-487-4 This study was carried out at the request of the Impact Assessment Unit of the Directorate for Impact Assessment and European Added Value, within the Directorate General for Parliamentary Research Services (DG EPRS) of the General Secretariat of the European Parliament. Originally entitled “Study on the implementation, application and effects of Directive 2001/29/EC on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society (InfoSoc) Directive and of its related instruments”, it is part of a larger, 3-part study entitled “Review of the EU copyright Framework: European Implementation Assessment”, published on the Parliament’s website (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_STU%282015%2 9558762). It is republished here by CEPS with the kind permission of the European Parliament. The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official position of the European Parliament or CEPS. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy. Available for free downloading from the CEPS website (www.ceps.eu) © European Union, 2015 All rights reserved. Centre for European Policy Studies ▪ Place du Congrès 1 ▪ B-1000 Brussels ▪ Tel: (32.2) 229.39.11 ▪ www.ceps.eu TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................ II INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 1. Copyright in the digital era .................................................................................................... 1 2. Structure of the work .............................................................................................................. 4 PART I. THE INTERVENTION LOGIC OF THE INFOSOC DIRECTIVE AND RELATED LEGISLATION ........................................................................................ 5 1. The rationale for the intervention: Why did the EU intervene in the field of copyright?6 1.1 Needs and problems at the time of the InfoSoc Directive .............................................. 6 1.1.1 Copyright and the principle of free movement: a basic tension ............................... 6 1.1.2 The principle of exhaustion and its scope of application ......................................... 7 1.1.3 The progressive development of an EU copyright policy and regulation ............... 8 1.1.4 EU copyright Directives and industrial policy objectives ........................................ 9 1.1.5 From sector-specific interventions to horizontal legislation in the field of EU copyright ................................................................................................................. 10 1.1.6 The 1995 Green Paper on Copyright in the Information Society ............................ 11 1.2 Objectives of the InfoSoc Directive ................................................................................ 11 1.2.1 General and specific objectives ............................................................................... 12 1.2.2 Operational objectives ............................................................................................ 12 PART II. EVALUATION OF SELECTED ISSUES ..................................................... 15 1. The legal aspects of copyright: harmonisation and efficiency of the EU copyright regime, and its impact on other policy areas ...................................................................... 16 1.1 Legal basis of EU copyright legislation ......................................................................... 16 1.2 Form and extent of harmonisation of the EU copyright system.................................. 18 1.2.1 Standard of originality ............................................................................................ 19 1.2.2 The scope of the exclusive rights of reproduction .................................................. 21 1.2.3 The exclusive rights of communication to the public ............................................. 23 1.2.4 The exclusive right of distribution and the exhaustion principle........................... 25 1.2.5 The ‘Europeanisation’ of copyright exceptions and limitations ............................. 27 1.3 Legal protection of technological protection measures ................................................ 31 1.4 Sanctions and remedies .................................................................................................. 35 1.5 On the current efficiency of the EU copyright system ................................................. 36 1.5.1 Principle of territoriality and collective rights management .................................. 37 1.5.2 Procedures, regulatory and administrative burdens related to private copying levies ....................................................................................................................... 39 1.5.3 Is lack of clarity on copyright’s scope a barrier to innovation? The examples of online news aggregation and text and data mining ............................................... 43 1.6 Interplay between the EU copyright system and other EU policy streams ................ 46 1.6.1 Copyright and liability exemptions under the e-Commerce Directive .................. 46 1.6.2 Copyright and data protection ............................................................................... 47 1.6.3 Copyright and fundamental rights ......................................................................... 49 1.6.4 Copyright and support to cultural diversity .......................................................... 50 2. The Internal Market aspects of copyright: EU copyright and the functioning of the Single Market ......................................................................................................................... 52 2.1 The market fragmentation effects of legislation on copyright and related rights in the European Union ........................................................................................................ 52 2.1.1 The territorial application of copyright rules ......................................................... 52 2.1.2 Definitions that fall outside the scope of the EU copyright acquis......................... 53 2.1.3 Territorial exercise of the right ............................................................................... 56 2.2 Territorial licensing and geo-blocking in specific sectors ............................................ 58 2.2.1 The audiovisual sector ............................................................................................ 60 2.2.2 The music sector ..................................................................................................... 65 2.2.3 The book publishing sector ..................................................................................... 71 2.3 The market fragmentation effects of copyright exceptions and limitations ............... 76 2.3.1 Exception and limitations at EU and Member State level ...................................... 76 2.3.2 Transient and incidental copies .............................................................................. 77 2.3.3 Exceptions for the benefit of libraries, educational establishments, archives and museums ................................................................................................................. 78 2.3.4 Teaching or scientific research ................................................................................ 80 2.3.5 Reporting of current events .................................................................................... 82 2.3.6 Quotations .............................................................................................................. 83 2.3.7 Parody, caricature and pastiche .............................................................................