Accompanied by heavy lobbying, the German authorities are currently debating an amendment to the Copyright Act – the so-called `second basket’ of copyright reform.
In the autumn of 2003, Germany transposed only the mandatory provisions of the European Union (EU) Directive on Copyright in the Digital Age – the `first basket’. The Government appears to have expected intensive discussions over the implementation of the remaining clauses of the directive. All of the important statutes involving intellectual property rights in the past year have attracted public interest, confirming the importance of immaterial assets in modern society. Consequently, modernisation of copyright law has been prepared diligently.
After two previous drafts, the Government finally presented its Bill on the modernisation of copyright law to Parliament on 22 March, 2006. The Bill deals with topics including new rules on private copying, copyright protection – and its limitations – and a new system for copyright levies. Those parts of the Bill are subject to protest and the lobbying activities of authors, collecting societies and various industries.
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