FIA, FIM and UNI-MEI have reacted very negatively to the recommendations put forward on the 31 January 2013 by Mr. António Vitorino, the mediator chosen by the European Commission regarding the private copying issue.

In this document, Mr. Vitorino unexpectedly reflects the discourse of manufacturers and importers of recording media who want to avoid paying the levy which is currently required of them, regardless of the fact that, for many years, these multinationals have made considerable profits from the sale of blank media as a result of the countless acts of consumers copying protected contents.

In Spain, where these industries have recently obtained from Mr Rajoy’s government the replacement of the levy by a symbolic contribution from the State, the prices of supports have not dropped one iota, which means that consumers continue to pay the same amount, to the exclusive benefit of multinationals, while creative professionals are henceforth deprived of an essential source of income.

In our opinion, Mr. Vitorino’s proposals are based on a mistaken analysis of the existing mechanisms of compensation. Although certain questions such as double payment doubtless call for practical solutions to be found, their relatively marginal impact does not justify questioning a balanced compensation infrastructure which is at the core of creators’ rights and constitutes a legitimate portion of their revenues.