Last year at the Forum d’Avignon she noted that if media companies want to tackle piracy, they should look beyond “corporatist self-interest.”

During this year’s speech titled Who Feeds the Artists, Kroes went even further by admitting that the current path copyright is taking is the wrong one.

Kroes started by saying that it is essential that creativity is recognized and stimulated in Europe. She agreed that artists have to be rewarded financially for their efforts, but doubts whether the current copyright system is the right tool for that.

“Let’s ask ourselves, is the current copyright system the right and only tool to achieve our objectives? Not really, I’m afraid. We need to keep on fighting against piracy, but legal enforceability is becoming increasingly difficult; the millions of dollars invested trying to enforce copyright have not stemmed piracy,” Kroes said.

“Meanwhile citizens increasingly hear the word copyright and hate what is behind it. Sadly, many see the current system as a tool to punish and withhold, not a tool to recognize and reward.

“Speaking of economic reward: if that is the aim of our current copyright system, we’re failing here too.”

Kroes explained that most artists in Europe can’t make a decent living from what they do, and gave the example that 97.5 percent of German musicians earn less than 1000 euros a month. Implicitly, she hereby argues that the restrictive copyright system we have now is benefiting multi-million euro companies, but not necessarily the artists at large as recent examples illustrate.

The commissioner wants that to change.

“We need to go back to basics and put the artist at the centre, not only of copyright law, but of our whole policy on culture and growth. In times of change, we need creativity, out-of-the-box thinking: creative art to overcome this difficult period and creative business models to monetise the art,” she said.

“And for this we need flexibility in the system, not the straitjacket of a single model. The platforms, channels and business models by which content is produced, distributed and used can be as varied and innovative as the content itself.”

Being the Digital Chief of Europe, Kroes sees an important role for the technology sector in helping out artists to get the most out of their careers.

“ICT can help here. In all sorts of sectors, ICT can help artists connect with their audience, directly and cheaply. And it can help audiences find and enjoy material that suits their specific needs, interests and tastes,” she said.

“Look at Cloud computing: it presents a totally new way of purchasing, delivering and consuming cultural works – music, books, films – which will certainly raise new questions about how licensing should function in an optimal way.”

Aside from using technology to benefit, instead of repress, Kroes says the industry has to reconsider whether their old business models are still in tune with the present days and age. Licensing issues in the music industry and delaying the distribution of movies and TV-shows through windowing are two examples she highlights in this regard.

“A system of rewarding art, in all its dimensions, must be flexible and adaptable enough to cope with these new environments. Or else we will kill innovation and damage artists’ interests,” Kroes noted.

As a take-home message, Kroes says that the key issue is to provide all the tools to make sure that artists can flourish. In other words, do what is necessary to ensure that artists make a decent income, instead of protecting the revenues of major companies.

“So that’s my answer: it’s not all about copyright. It is certainly important, but we need to stop obsessing about that. The life of an artist is tough: the crisis has made it tougher. Let’s get back to basics, and deliver a system of recognition and reward that puts artists and creators at its heart.”

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

“Borders are now crossed more easily than ever before in history. It is a great opportunity for artists and creators of all kinds, as art has no limits but those of our minds,” said Kroes. “Art enriches itself by eliminating artificial barriers between people such as borders between countries.”

The breaking down of borders is made even easier these days, largely thanks to the planet’s most powerful tool for dissemination – the Internet. But the free flow of information – of culture – is a problem to those whose businesses rely on controlling where and how it is accessed.

But, Kroes says that thanks to the Internet revolution, these “content gatekeepers and intermediaries” are in a vulnerable position, referring to the many organizations that exploit and defend copyright for corporate interests.

“Like it or not, content gatekeepers risk being sidelined if they do not adapt to the needs of both creators and consumers of cultural goods,” she warned.

While noting that copyright has proven itself historically as a system capable of getting money to artists, it can also be a frustration to those wishing to preserve culture.

Referring to the “digital wonder” of those digitising cultural works for the Europeana portal, Kroes worries about the huge problem of obtaining permissions and licensing for 20th century items, media which is tied up in complex legal frameworks and managed by rights-holders.

“Today our fragmented copyright system is ill-adapted to the real essence of art, which has no frontiers. Instead, that system has ended up giving a more prominent role to intermediaries than to artists,” said Kroes.

“It irritates the public who often cannot access what artists want to offer and leaves a vacuum which is served by illegal content, depriving the artists of their well deserved remuneration. And copyright enforcement is often entangled in sensitive questions about privacy, data protection or even net neutrality.”

Kroes went even further, noting that those who avoid debate – the rights-holders – often do so to protect their vested interests, and instead choose to discuss the issue of copyright on “moralistic terms that merely demonise millions of citizens.”

According to Kroes that approach is unsustainable and the solution lies in copyright reform which looks beyond “national and corporatist self-interest.”

“I will remember artists and citizens with each step forward,” she concludes. “Artists cast light on our world; our job is to let the light shine in.”

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.