User:OwenBlacker/FoP/Reply from Richard Ashworth (ECR)

Dear Mr Blacker,

Thank you for your email to Richard Ashworth MEP regarding the Reda report on EU Copyright Reform.

The UK Conservatives generally supported all compromises in the committee vote which asks for evidence-based improvements to the current legal framework to develop further the legal offer of cultural content online, calls for the Commission to evaluate targeted and appropriate measures to improve legal certainty, in line with Better Regulation principles; stress the contribution of copyright and related rights to competitiveness, employment and innovation across several industry sectors and note that the creative output of the European Union is one of its richest resources.

However, one outstanding issue remains regarding the Freedom of Panorama, which the UK Conservatives (and the wider European Conservatives and Reformists Group) will seek to delete in the plenary vote. The adopted amendment recommends that photos of public buildings/statues/sculptures/landmarks can be taken without permission as long as it is for non-commercial use, which is already the case in 18 EEA countries. Therefore, commercial use would require permission. However, since this is not the case in the UK (Freedom of Panorama is allowed in the UK even for commercial use under current copyright law) and there are different views in Member States on this issue, the Group will request deletion of any reference to Freedom of Panorama as an EU solution to this issue is not appropriate and the matter can be discussed in more detail after further debate.

Thank you again for your email to Richard Ashworth; he is always pleased to hear from constituents on EU issues.

Kind Regards,

Claire

Claire Williams
Parliamentary Assistant to Richard Ashworth MEP
Conservative MEP for South East England

www.richardashworth.org