(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a WAN press release: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , 13 June 2000 For immediate release Newspaper Publishers Demand Stronger Copyright Protection The world’s newspaper publishers have called on copyright policy-makers to remove the obstacles that prevent or hinder the development of newspaper companies in the new digital media environment. Gathered […]
(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a WAN press release:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , 13 June 2000
For immediate release
Newspaper Publishers Demand Stronger Copyright Protection
The world’s newspaper publishers have called on copyright policy-makers to remove the obstacles that prevent or hinder the development of newspaper companies in the new digital media environment.
Gathered at the annual meetings of the World Association of Newspapers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (11-14 June), the publishers said that existing copyright legislation had become “a serious obstacle for newspaper publishers to exploit their content in a reasonable and economically-viable fashion through the new distribution channels.”
A resolution approved by the Board of WAN, which has brought together 1,400 publishers and editors from 71 countries for the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Rio de Janeiro, said that new information technologies had radically changed the business conditions and competitive environment of newspaper publishers.
The resolution said:
“The growing importance of the internet and other forms of electronic publishing are obliging publishers to explore and invest in the whole range of media options.
“Copyright law was established before this digital environment emerged. Today, this legislation has become a serious obstacle for newspaper publishers to exploit their content in a reasonable and economically-viable fashion through the new distribution channels. Publishers are either prevented by law from using their content as they wish, or obliged to pay several times when this content is published in a form other than on paper.
“Newspaper publishers play a vital role in the information society by creating and delivering high-quality content for use in different media. They need much stronger protection in copyright law for their business investment. The scope of these rights cannot be limited to the printed version of a newspaper. It must include all uses of content in whatever medium the publisher is engaged in. The legal environment cannot be allowed to prevent newspaper companies from developing their businesses. This is particularly important at a time when newspapers are endeavouring to attract a new generation to reading through the development of their internet activities.
The World Association of Newspapers calls on copyright policy-makers to give newspaper publishers the appropriate legal means to safeguard their intellectual, human and financial investments in content distribution and thus enable them to continue to play their vital role in democracy.”
WAN defends and promotes press freedom and the business and professional interests of newspapers. It represents 17,000 newspapers in 93 countries. Its affiliate organisations include the European Newspaper Publishers Association, the Inter-American Press Association and the Pacific Area Newspapers Publishers Association.”
