Gibb blasts EC

10:09 | Wednesday October 8, 2008

The president of CISAC, the international association for Authors Collection Societies, questioned why the Commission was “bothering with this at all”.

Gibb told the conference, which was opened by Minister of State for Culture Bernd Neumann, that the Commission is accusing the societies of using concerted practice to place restrictions on multi territorial licensing in the fields of satellite, cable and internet transmission. Gibb said, “According to the Commission this was done by the societies to prevent competition between societies. The decision does not ban reciprocal arrangements on a bilateral basis but it forbids societies from talking together on a multi lateral basis. This is obviously daft and makes international trade in music licensing even more difficult than before.”

He also claimed that the Commission’s move “has the effect (of) blocking the licensing of new digital services". He added, "It has destroyed the current system for multi-territorial licences and has forbidden the societies to discuss any new way forward.”