In June, as part of PLR International, the International Authors Forum (IAF) met with members of the Copyright Unit of the European Commission. The focus of this meeting was to explore what could be done about the PLR schemes in several countries in Europe – particularly Romania, Bulgaria and Portugal – where payments for loans from public libraries have been exempt.
PLR International will be working closely with the Commission in the months ahead to review the implementation of these schemes in these countries and will be highlighting areas from a legal perspective – taking on board previous Court of Justice for the European Union rulings – for further consideration.
The aim of PLR International is to roll out PLR schemes as widely as possible for the benefit of authors and other stakeholders. With this in mind, a close working relationship with the European Commission, as well as with the World Intellectual Property Organization, is important for raising the issue on a global basis.
The PLR International Steering Committee consists of stakeholders from the writing and visual arts community, along with representatives from the publishing and collective management community.
Visit the PLR International website to find out more.