Audrey Azoulay, Minister of Culture and Communication, signed on Tuesday 2 May 2017 with Dario Franceschini, Italian Minister of Goods, Cultural Activities and Tourism, a joint declaration on copyright in Europe.
As part of the European Commission’s copyright reform, Audrey Azoulay and Dario Franceschini reaffirmed the crucial role of copyright in supporting creativity, promoting cultural diversity and innovation. This reform must be integrated into a real European strategy for culture in the digital age, in order to promote public access to works, but also to support the fair remuneration of creators, the sustainability of the culture economy, the diversity of works created and the public’s freedom of choice.
In particular, the two ministers stressed their common commitment to the essential principles of:
- respect for the territoriality of copyright, the cornerstone of the financing and dissemination of culture, particularly in the audiovisual and film sectors;
- consideration of the role and responsibility of digital platforms and intermediaries and the need for equitable sharing of value.
France and Italy also want special attention to be paid to the rules that could be applied to new digital players, such as video sharing platforms, as part of the revision of the "Audiovisual Media Services" Directive. All publishers of on-demand audiovisual media services should also be involved in the financing and promotion of European audiovisual works.
