Guaranteeing the legal protection of investment in quality journalism is long overdue.

EMMA, ENPA, EPC and NME welcome the support of a Press Publishers’ right by MEP Axel Voss, rapporteur in the Legal Affairs Committee. Mr Voss has presented a proposal that would guarantee press publishers an exclusive right as part of the current EU copyright reform. 

In recent months, several European Parliament committees have approved the European Commission’s proposal for the so-called Publishers’ Right in their opinion. A vote in the lead committee on Legal Affairs is scheduled for June.

The publishers’ associations emphasized that it was high time to give newspapers and magazines the same legal protection that has long been applied to film, television and music.

From the point of view of the European associations, publishers provide an essential service, investing in professional journalism which is the best and most effective way to react to polemics and false information on the Internet. It is therefore necessary to prevent third parties from commercially exploiting the content and brands of newspapers and magazines without permission and remuneration. 

As Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip said this week at the London Book Fair: “Our copyright reform gives publishers and authors the means to negotiate better with digital platforms. Rights holders will be in a stronger and fairer position to negotiate and be paid when a platform puts their work online. The legal bargaining position of press publishers needs similar improvement and clarity.”

EMMA, ENPA, EPC and NME call upon the Members of the European Parliament to support a strong right for press publishers, and to afford investment in quality journalism the much-overdue protection it deserves. 

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EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association, is the unique and complete representation of Europe’s magazine media, which is today enjoyed by millions of consumers on various platforms. EMMA represents 15,000 publishing houses, publishing 50,000 magazine titles across Europe in print and digital. See: www.magazinemedia.eu 

ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association, is an international non-profit organisation representing publishers of newspaper and news media on all platforms. In a rapidly changing media environment, ENPA supports publishers with the aim of achieving a successful and sustainable future for independent news media in Europe. See: www.enpa.eu 

EPC, the European Publishers Council is a high level group of Chairmen and CEOs of leading European media corporations actively involved in multimedia markets spanning newspaper, magazine, book, journal, internet and online database publishers, and radio and TV broadcasting. See: http://epceurope.eu/ 

NME, News Media Europe (NME) represents the progressive news media industry in Europe – over 2200 European titles of newspapers, radio, TV and internet. NME is committed to maintaining and promoting the freedom of the press, to upholding and enhancing the freedom to publish, and to championing the newsbrands which are one of the most vital parts of Europe’s creative industries. See: http://www.newsmediaeurope.eu/ 

Contacts: 

Joy de Looz-Corswarem – EMMA & ENPA – Joy.deloozc@magazinemedia.eu  

Angela Mills Wade – EPC – Angela.MillsWade@epceurope.eu 

Wout van Wijk – NME – wout.vanwijk@newsmediaeurope.eu