UNIFIED’s Matt Rogers pens article on protecting our artists’ future
Fairness, openness, a rock-solid regulatory framework and fixing the “value gap.”
According to UNFIED legal gun and General Manager Matthew Rogers, they’re the essential ingredients for a healthy creative industry. And, with continued work and support from decision-makers across this globalised world, they’re within the industry’s grasp.
Rogers serves on the board of the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) and has brought the issue of copyright protection in Australia into an international context in a new essay for Music Business Worldwide.
“We are making many of the same arguments made around the world,” he writes, “that broad safe harbour provisions are fundamentally not fair and equitable for the creative industries due to the value gap created.”
As previously reported, the music industry repeatedly called on the Government to immediately axe safe harbour proposals in it the updated Copyright Act in the digital age.
Rogers uses the graphic design hub, RedBubble, an Australian company (which operates a U.S. website), as a poster-child for introducing safe harbour locally.
The controversial business allows users to upload any image and, for a fee, Redbubble will print and deliver the goods.
The problem is, Redbubble doesn’t offer an opt-out for creators and the firm refuses to pay any account of profits from sale of infringing works, according to Rogers.
“We are a small business with a global footprint, our artists are small businesses with a global footprint,” Rogers explains. “Both of our businesses can be affected by copyright changes in any market and therefore whilst we act globally, we look locally for support from our legislators to continue to acknowledge and protect the value of copyright and the right of its creators to determine that value.”
This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.
Jobs
