Paris, 10 May 2013 — The publication of the report on culture and the Internet requested by French president Hollande to Pierre Lescure – former CEO of Canal +, a major TV station owned by Vivendi-Universal – will be the object of a major media buzz in France. For those interested in what would be ambitious public policies adapted to the digital era, La Quadrature du Net brings back on the table its Elements for the reform of copyright and related cultural policies. Will those 14 propositions, attentive to the freedoms and uses of everyone, to the interests of authors and other contributors, be a part of it, or will the Lescure report perpetuate the repressive policies led by Nicolas Sarkozy?
In July 2012, concluding several years’ worth of international collective work, La Quadrature du Net issued a coherent set of proposals for copyright and cultural policies reform, aimed at adapting them to the digital era. Those propositions are based on the recognition of individuals cultural fundamental rights and – attentive to added-value editorial work – take into account the real challenges of the digital era: the mutliplicity of contributors and quality contents.
La Quadrature du Net’s propositions come about within a set of structures coming from various networks and European countries, including:
- The Right to Share: Principles on Freedom of Expression and Copyright in the Digital Age from the international NGO “Article 19”.
- The charter of the Free Culture Forum and its Guide for Sustainable Creativity.
- The recommendations of the European network Communia and its Public Domain Manifesto.
- The propositions developped in Poland by the Centrum Cyfrowe and the Modern Poland Foundation.
“In order for everyone to know what a real cultural policy in the digital era could be, reviewers of the Lescure report are invited to compare it’s content with the Elements for the reform of copyright and related cultural policies proposed by La Quadrature. It is time to take into account the propositions made by those for whom Internet is not just a distribution channel for the products of outdated entertainment industries.” declared Philippe Aigrain, co-founder of La Quadrature du Net.
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