European Authors’ and Performers’ Organisations Welcome Draft Report On Private Copying Levies

The EFJ is one of the signatories to a joint statement from European organisations representing creators that supports French MEP Françoise Castex’s draft report on private copying levies. Ms Castex underlines that “culture and artistic creation form the bedrock of the European identity past and present” and that the “private copying system is a virtuous system that balances the right to copying for private use with fair remuneration to rightholders, and that it is a system worth preserving”. Ms Castex calls on EU Member States and the European Commission to modernise the system and agree on common principles so that private copying levies can continue to provide an invaluable source of income for authors and performers, secure the freedom to copy for consumers, and guarantee that those who benefit from the exception through the sales of copy-enabling products also contribute to cultural diversity. View the statement here.