The rapid development of digital technologies has led EU bodies to agree on so-called portability, i.e. the ability to watch a purchased program abroad.
However, this is only a small step toward harmonizing the market for audiovisual and digital content. A huge challenge is, for example, agreeing on a common European copyright law when major market players benefit from selling national licenses.
– We do not yet have European copyright, and therefore cross-border television does not function. It is not the case that you can watch a selected foreign program on television. What we have done, however, is take a step forward. We managed to agree on so-called portability – said Róża Thun, Member of the European Parliament, in an interview with the Newseria Innowacje news agency. – If, while in Poland, I buy access to a program and then go abroad, for example on holiday, I still have that access, even though normally you cannot watch a given program from that country. If I buy it in Poland and leave, I take that purchase with me.
The previous barriers to cross-border portability of content-sharing services resulted from the fact that licenses for the transmission of content protected by copyright or related rights (such as audiovisual works or premium sporting events) are often granted on a territorial basis. Recently, the Council of the European Union agreed on a general approach to the draft regulation on cross-border portability of online content services in the internal market. Róża Thun believes this is a good step, but still insufficient.
– Living in the EU, we should have access to various television stations, and that access still does not exist. Everything related to removing geoblocking on audiovisual content will be very difficult and will take a very long time, because it is connected with copyright and licenses. We still have neither a European license nor common copyright. We are working on this now, but it will take some time – the MEP predicts.
According to EU documents, in the work on copyright, EU bodies have set three main priorities: greater choice and access to online and cross-border content, improved copyright rules with a view to research, education and the integration of people with disabilities, and a fairer and more sustainable market for creators and the press. However, not everyone is on board with harmonizing regulations across the entire European Union.
– Producers of audiovisual content are in favor of maintaining the status quo. They buy and sell licenses for each country separately. I am convinced that we must look for a different business model. We must ensure that it is possible to function well as an audiovisual content producer in a huge market of 500 million citizens and earn fair money from it, and that those citizens have access to that content – says Róża Thun. – The EU is a different entity than the USA, China or Russia, not least because we have different languages, old laws and different habits in each country. We will gradually harmonize this, although I will not hide that the resistance is very strong.
