The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has urged European Union institutions and national governments to recognise, protect, and enforce journalists' authors' rights throughout the union. The appeal was made in a statement issued on Monday after a two-day EFJ seminar on ownership of authors' rights and collective management in the European Union.
The federation called on on EU member states and the European Parliament and the European Commission to pay particular attention to the re-use in digital form of printed or audio-visual works. Journalists are losing remuneration because publishers and producers don't' respect the authors'rights and block collective licensing in the digital area in order to promote possible future business models.
Journalists agree with user groups that licensing through collective agreements and levy schemes can co-exist with new business models based on digital rights management (DRM) and that business models will not in a foreseeable future be able to stand alone, the statement said.
The seminar on "Ownership of authors' rights and collective management in the European union- meeting journalists needs" was held in Lisbon, Portugal, on
November 5-6, and attended by 24 journalists organisations of Europe. The EFJ is a regional organisation of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and has its headquarters in Brussels.
The aims of the seminar, organised with the support of the EU Commission � were to bring journalists up to date with latest developments in the field of authors' rights, address current concerns over the lack of authors' rights protection in Europe, and take concrete action to oppose media employers' constant attempts to grab journalists' and photographers' authors rights and impose buy-out contracts.
Discussions also addressed the role of reprographic rights organisations (RROs) in collecting and distributing to journalists fees for secondary uses of their work, such as photocopying.
The EFJ deplored the situation in many European countries where journalists do not receive any share of the amount collected by RROs. The EFJ is carrying out a survey to assess journalists' concerns over collective rights management at the EU level.
The federation appealed to EU member states and the European Parliament and the European Commission to support the existing transparent and democratic structures in well functioning collecting societies, to promote the establishment of such societies where they are needed and ensure the representation of journalists' organisations within their structures.
"Our study on authors' rights' collective systems shows that journalists do not receive fair treatment in many countries," said Wolfgang Mayer EFJ steering committee member. "The study will serve as a good basis for opening dialogue with editors and reprographic organisations on journalists' share in the reprographic sector." Mayer is also the author of the study, which will be released in January 2007.
The seminar concluded by issuing a declaration calling on EU institutions to recognise and enforce authors' rights protection for journalists in all media, and opposing any attempt to introduce forced assignment of authors' rights either in legislation or in employment contracts. All re-use of journalistic works should allow for equitable remuneration, as provided in the EU rules.
The EFJ also called on collecting societies to ensure that they operate democratic and transparent structures and that journalists' organisations are duly represented within these structures. The EFJ also urged EU member states and the European Parliament and European Commission to abolish all forced legal transfer of journalist authors' rights to publishers and producers whether journalists work as staff members or on a freelance basis.
