Creative Content Online

The digital "dematerialisation" of content presents great opportunities for Europe, but also a number of challenges. First of all, obstacles still stand in the way of digital distribution of cultural products and services. In addition, illegal downloads on a large scale can jeopardize the development of an economically viable single market for digital content. Finally, there needs to be much more encouragement for legal cross-border offers. The Commission consulted in October 2009 on a Reflection Document outlining the existing challenges for three groups of stakeholders - rightholders, consumers and commercial users. With this public consultation the Commission's services wish to launch a wide-ranging debate on how to develop vibrant online markets for goods and services protected by intellectual property rights. The consultation addresses the role of legal online markets and explores a variety of copyright management models that may induce a more rapid development of such markets. Cable Europe replied to this consultation by underlining the crucial role of technology neutrality in any solution proposed.

The Commission had also published on 3 January 2008 a Communication on the Creative Content Online, which launches further actions to support the development of innovative business models and the deployment of cross-border delivery of diverse online creative content services.

The Commission considers that there are four main issues worth to be looked at:

• Lack of availabilty of creative content for online distribution
• Lack of multi-territorial licensing for creative content
• Digital Rights Management systems
• Legal Offers and Piracy

It therefore set-up a 'Content Online Platform' gathering stakeholders to cooperate and discuss forthcoming challenges created by the emerging Market for online creative content.

The Commission published a Report on the conclusions reached by the Content Online Platform.