Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

123. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps her Department is taking to ensure that legislation is progressed to protect copyright of various artists, musicians and songwriters in the context of royalties for their work and productions and particularly in the context of the recent vote in the European Parliament to ensure the protection of such artists in securing appropriate royalties and dividends for their works and productions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38210/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On 14 September 2016, the EU Commission published a package of copyright reform proposals as part of its Digital Single Market strategy. This included a Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market (hereinafter the “Copyright Directive”). The intention of the Directive is to craft modern copyright legislation suitable for all European citizens.

Among the Directive’s many proposals are provisions aimed at ensuring greater rights for rightholders, such as musicians and songwriters. This includes a provision intended to address the “value gap”, where rightsholders are receiving less remuneration despite the increased usage of their works online (Article 13) and a series of articles that will allow rightholders to receive more detailed and regular information on the use of their works, to re-negotiate contracts based on this information, and to have access to a dispute resolution mechanism (Articles 14-16).

Officials of my Department have been engaged in exhaustive negotiations since publication of this proposal and have been successful in achieving a number of amendments to address the concerns of our stakeholders. On 25 May, the Copyright Directive was discussed by Ambassadors at Coreper and the Presidency gained approval for a mandate to commence negotiations with the European Parliament. The Parliament voted to endorse its approach at its plenary session on 12 September. Trialogue negotiations are now expected to begin in early October.

I fully support the proposed Directive which is vitally important to both the digital economy and to rightholders seeking greater protection of their works in the digital age. Our focus has always been on achieving the best balance for the competing interests of all stakeholders, including digital economy actors, rightsholders, and citizens. To that end, there has been extensive engagement with stakeholders across the various issues in Ireland, Brussels, and with other EU Member States, including at Ministerial level.

My Department will engage positively with the negotiations on the proposal going forward to ensure that Ireland can benefit from its many merits as soon as possible.

In the domestic context, the Deputy will also be aware that Minister Halligan is currently progressing the Copyright and Other Intellectual Property Law Provisions Bill 2018 (the “Copyright Bill”) through the Houses of the Oireacthas. This bill, aimed at modernising Irish copyright legislation, contains a large number of proposals that will be of benefit to rightholders and users alike and will ensure that Ireland has a copyright regime suitable for the digital age. Having completed all stages in the Dáil before the summer recess, the Copyright Bill is now scheduled for Second Stage in the Seanad on 26 September.