Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2018
96. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation when she plans to legislate to ensure that all Irish artists receive royalties from all online platforms that profit from the playing of their music. [27192/18]
View answerI appreciate and understand the concerns of Irish artists in the modern digital age. My Department actively supports placing Irish artists in a more beneficial position to ensure that they can gain the most remuneration possible for their music. New business models are currently emerging to help musicians to license their works to online platforms and ultimately it is a commercial matter for rights holders to negotiate the use of their works on any platform or media. However, I agree that there should be a regulatory framework to help them not just in Ireland, but at an EU-wide level.
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 is a provision aimed at addressing the “value gap”, whereby rights holders are receiving less remuneration despite the increased usage of their works (Article 13).
Officials of my Department have been thoroughly engaged in negotiations since publication of this proposal and have been successful in achieving a number of amendments to address the concerns of our stakeholders. The Copyright Directive has been discussed by EU Ambassadors and the Presidency has gained approval for a mandate to commence negotiations with the European Parliament.
Negotiations on the Copyright Directive have been exhaustive and, while I appreciate the concerns that have been raised, I fully support the intention of this proposal which is vitally important to both the DSM and the digital economy. Our focus has always been on achieving the best balance for the competing interests of all stakeholders, including digital economy actors, rights holders, 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 continue to engage positively with the negotiations on the proposal going forward to ensure that Ireland can benefit from its many merits, particularly with regard to the value gap, as soon as possible.
