The move, immediately welcomed by the consumer electronics industry, was tempered by a simulataneous proposal to extend copyright protection of artists' rights from 50 to 95 years.
"There is need to look at how the levies are applied," said Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, acknowledging at the same time the artist's right to compensation over private copying.
"It should be possible to envisage some workable solution that assures the rights holders of their due compensation and at the same time applying the levies in a way that is commensurate with the loss caused by private copying," said McCreevy diplomatically.
The concrete action implies the launch of a public consultation which will last until 18 April. An open hearing will follow in June with the aim of finding a shared solution.
Despite all the diplomatic efforts by the Irish commissioner, it is clear that the move will not please the artistic community, though it has already triggered praise from the technology industry. Scrapping the levies means the elimination of a sort of hidden tax imposed upon producers of electronic devices such as computers or CD players. The levies are imposed on the presumption that these items might be used to create personal copies of copyright works.
On the other hand, the artistic community would lose a basic source of revenues. It is therefore not a coincidence that on the same day McCreevy announced the re-launch of the copyright levies debate, he revealed his intention to prolong copyright protection for European performers from 50 to 95 years, thus closing a gap with the protection time enjoyed by producers of artwork.
"I have not seen a convincing reason why a composer of music should benefit from a term of copyright which extends to the composer's life and 70 years beyond, while the performer should only enjoy 50 years, often not even covering his lifetime," said the Commissioner. "It is the performer who gives life to the composition and while most of us have no idea who wrote our favourite song, we can usually name the performer," he added.
