The French and German governments have issued a joint position on reforming European Union copyright law ahead of a planned revision by the European Commission expected after the summer. The two countries have been wary of any drastic change to the rules.

The joint declaration, issued yesterday, concedes that the rules, last updated in 2000, need to be updated for the digital age. However, it insists that authors and the content industry must be remunerated for their work. They stress the “key role played by the copyright to stimulate cultural diversity, creativity and innovation”. Above all, copyright must be “promoted and preserved as the foundation of creative activity, while ensuring the inclusion of innovations in technologies, business models and usage habits”.

Andrus Ansip, the European Commission’s vice-president for the digital single market, has said a reform of copyright rules is needed to end the practice of geo-blocking, where content providers restrict access to media content based on the country the user is accessing it from.

The Commission welcomed the Franco-German declaration, saying it demonstrates “strong support” for modernisation of EU copyright rules. “We agree that we need to ensure the right balance between the interests of creators and those of users,” said Ansip. “We should improve people’s access to culture – thereby nurturing cultural diversity – while opening new opportunities for artists, content creators and all those investing in creativity.”

The issue of copyright reform will also be touched upon in the digital single market strategy to be issued in May.

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