Nedan går att läsa yttrandet ”On the Commission’s report on the application of Directive 2001/29/EC on the
harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society” i sin helhet:
1. Reaffirms that the information society is a crucial pillar of the Lisbon Strategy,
based on access to knowledge and on the protection of digital content by means of a
rigorous and effective system of protection of copyright and related rights and further reaffirms that such protection must promote innovation, respect technology neutrality and take into account the legitimate interests of law-abiding consumers and internet service providers;
1a. Stresses the need to achieve legal certainty as regards copyright in the information society and underlines the need for further harmonisation in that area, within the EU as well between the EU and the United States;
2. Recalls that Directive 2001/29/EC on the harmonisation of certain aspects of
copyright and related rights in the information society is a vital component of
the Community legislation on the protection of intellectual property in the digital environment, in conformity with the WIPO ’Internet treaties’; further recalls
that this legislation has worked well in practice, helping to promote a vibrant community within Europe;
2a. Notes that information technologies create a need for modern copyright and related rights, and that the protection of these rights must be secured, with a clear division between the public authorities
responsible for enforcement and the operators, acting within the applicable legal framework ;
2b. Recalls the rapid increase of usercreated content on the internet and its contribution to creativity; recognises that it is a sector with an ever increasing value; notes that information sharing is a precondition for this and that this must be taken into consideration; recalls, in this
context, that while copyright protection stimulates investment and production of content, carefully considered exceptions are equally essential to ensure access to knowledge, creation and innovation;
3. Notes that the Commission’s report on the application of Directive 2001/29/EC stresses the existence in the Member States of variations in the implementation of its Articles 5, 6 and 8, resulting in divergent interpretations and decisions by national jurisdictions, and recalls that these are now embodied in case-law;
4. Asks the Commission to continue its rigorous monitoring of the application of Directive
2001/29/EC and to report regularly on the matter to Parliament and the Council;
5. Welcomes the Commission’s adoption of the green paper ’Copyright in the Knowledge Economy’, and calls on the Commission, after consulting all interested parties, to revise Directive 2001/29/EC in such a way as to clarify the wording of its Articles 5, 6 and 8 with a view to ensuring the harmonisation at Community level of the legal framework for copyright protection in the information society.
5a. Calls on the Commission, when further assessing aspects of Directive 2001/29/EC, including the Green Paper ’Copyright in the Knowledge Economy’, to consider Parliament´s Resolution of 31
January 2008 on the European Research Area: New Perspectives1 which underlines the importance of respecting intellectual property and stresses that publishers investments in infrastructure, functionality and electronic crossreference initiatives have resulted in major improvements in the dissemination of information and knowledge.