Simone Schroff | Plymouth University (original) (raw)
Papers by Simone Schroff
While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, a... more While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, and to collect and distribute the revenue - have traditionally been accepted as a progression towards a natural (national) monopoly, digital exploitation of music may no longer lead to such a fate. The European Commission has challenged the traditional structures through reforms that increase the degree of competition. This paper asks whether the reforms have had the desired effect and shows, through qualitative research, that at least regarding the streaming of music, competition has not delivered. Part of the reason for this may be that the services required by the now competing CMOs have changed.
December 2015 How can cultural heritage institutions tackle the barriers to online access within ... more December 2015 How can cultural heritage institutions tackle the barriers to online access within the EU, and what policy recommendation at EU and institutional level can be made to bring down the barriers?
The conventional wisdom on the evolution of copyright and what has shaped it has come under incre... more The conventional wisdom on the evolution of copyright and what has shaped it has come under increasing strain in recent years. As technical innovation pushes for reforms, the results are increasingly subject to political debate and tension. Examining how copyright has evolved and what has driven the process is of key importance because of the economic importance of copyright to individual countries. In the light of this and to contribute to possible solutions, it is necessary to examine what or who has driven the process. To do this, the evolution of copyright polices has to be mapped in a comparative way. This thesis examines the evolution of copyright in Germany, the US, the UK and at an international level between 1880 and 2010. The analysis itself is split between the culture and stringency of policies. Culture refers to the overall approach to copyright while stringency covers the scope of protection. This approach is original because it allows for a comparison of copyright sys...
While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations – to licence use, monitor use, a... more While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations – to licence use, monitor use, and to collect and distribute the revenue – have traditionally been accepted as leading to a natural (national) monopoly, digital exploitation of music may no longer support such a conclusion. The European Commission has challenged the traditional structures through reforms that increase the degree of competition. This paper asks whether the reforms have had the desired effect and shows, through qualitative research, that at least as regards the streaming of music, competition has not delivered. Part of the reason for this may be that the services required by the now competing CMOs have changed.
While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, a... more While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, and to collect and distribute the revenue - have traditionally been accepted as a progression towards a natural (national) monopoly, digital exploitation of music may no longer lead to such a fate. The European Commission has challenged the traditional structures through reforms that increase the degree of competition. This paper asks whether the reforms have had the desired effect and shows, through qualitative research, that at least regarding the streaming of music, competition has not delivered. Part of the reason for this may be that the services required by the now competing CMOs have changed.
Archives across the Netherlands are tasked to make their archives accessible online. However, pro... more Archives across the Netherlands are tasked to make their archives accessible online. However, progress has been slow, not least because it is difficult to determine who owns the rights to make works available online. Focusing on the Dutch public service radio and TV broadcasting sectors, this book adresses this challenge. First, it disentangles the nature of broadcasts by providing guidance on which aspects of a TV or radio broadcast can attract protection and who owns these. Secondly, it empirically establishes that the default ownership rules can only provide an incomplete picture of the rights ownership in the public service broadcasting sector: the ownership is more concentrated than copyright and neighbouring rights law suggests. Who owns the broadcasting archives? shows how different legal scenarios explain this rights concentration and establishes their likely practical influence on industry practice in the public service broadcasting sector across time.
JIPITEC 7 (2017) 3 - While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licenc... more JIPITEC 7 (2017) 3 - While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, and to collect and distribute the revenue - have traditionally been accepted as a progression towards a natural (national) monopoly, digital exploitation of music may no longer lead to such a fate. The European Commission has challenged the traditional structures through reforms that increase the degree of competition. This paper asks whether the reforms have had the desired effect and shows, through qualitative research, that at least regarding the streaming of music, competition has not delivered. Part of the reason for this may be that the services required by the now competing CMOs have changed.
Bibliotheken in Sachsen // 145 stadtweites Veranstaltungskonzept, das Alternativstandorte für Unt... more Bibliotheken in Sachsen // 145 stadtweites Veranstaltungskonzept, das Alternativstandorte für Unterhaltungsangebote bietet, die nach dem Umbau nicht mehr im Kulturpalast stattfinden können. Der Umbau des Kulturpalastes und sein neues Nutzungskonzept resultiert aus dem Wunsch nach einer Aufwertung des Standortes. Der Kulturpalast wird als traditionelles Zentrum des Dresdner Kulturschaffens nicht nur erhalten, sondern deutlich erweitert. Der Umbau und die Sanierung des Kulturpalastes, verbunden mit dem neuen Nutzungskonzept, ermöglichen es der Stadtverwaltung, ihre Stadtentwicklungsziele mit überschaubaren Kosten umzusetzen. Der Umbau und die Sanierung werden beim vorliegendem Nutzungskonzept zum einen stark durch die geplanten ca. 29,2 Mio. Euro Fördermittel (von einer Gesamtinvestition in Höhe von 65 Mio. Euro) unterstützt und machen ihn somit günstiger als jede Alternative zur Lösung der anstehenden Probleme, vor allem da eine Sanierung aus Brandschutzgründen ohnehin unabweisbar ist. Gleichzeitig ermöglichen die neuen Nutzer (vor allem die Zentralbibliothek) die Betriebskosten durch eine bessere Tag-und Nachtauslastung des Gebäudes und eine deutlich höhere Besucheranzahl relativ zu senken.
IIC - International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law
Extended Collective Licensing (ECL) schemes have been put forward in Europe as one of the solutio... more Extended Collective Licensing (ECL) schemes have been put forward in Europe as one of the solutions for the licensing of out-of-commerce works by cultural heritage institutions. ECL schemes extend the application of freely negotiated copyright licensing agreements between a user and a collective management organisation (CMO) to the works of non-members of the organisation. Not every CMO is suitable to license works under ECL provisions, however. In particular, the legitimacy of any agreement crucially relies on the ''representativeness'' of the CMO. This article focuses on the notion of representativeness of CMOs. On the basis of current European and national legislation, we argue that the representative character of a CMO encompasses three essential elements to be considered from the perspective of the rights owners: (1) the CMO must have a broad membership among the potential rights owners in the market it serves; (2) it must have a proper mandate from the rights owners in terms of category of works and rights covered; and (3) it must take appropriate measures to reach and inform (non-)members about the exercise of rights. ECL schemes can only be sufficiently legitimate to presume tacit approval by non-members if this assessment of the three criteria is carried out carefully.
International Journal of Cultural Policy
Creative Industries Journal
Comics today are a major business and they form the source material for a whole range of sectors ... more Comics today are a major business and they form the source material for a whole range of sectors in the creative industries. In an environment where major investments are necessary to turn a comic into a cross-media success, commercial intermediaries such as Disney have become the key copyright holders. By controlling the copyright, they ensure full control over all aspects of its monetisation. However, this is not the only way success can be achieved on a commercial scale. In Japan, the creators of comics (Mangaka) keep their copyright-a direct contradiction to current copyright thinking. This paper addresses this conundrum by examining both the Manga business and copyright law to identify if the reasons why copyright is not centralised in the hands of the commercial intermediary, especially the publishers. The analysis will show that while there are differences between Japan and the EU/ US, but these do not affect the role of copyright law and indeed failing to acquire the rights is a choice, not a necessity. Instead, this article will highlight that the competitive Manga market in combination with the uniquely Japanese publication right and social control best explain why Mangas are successful and Mangaka keep their rights.
This paper examines the implications for European music culture of the European Union’s (EU) Digi... more This paper examines the implications for European music culture of the European Union’s (EU) Digital Single Market strategy. It focuses on the regulatory framework being created for the management of copyright policy, and in particular the role played by collective management organisations (CMOs or collecting societies). One of the many new opportunities created by digitalisation has been the music streaming services. These depend on consumers being able to access music wherever they are, but such a system runs counter to the management of rights on a national basis and through collecting organisations which act as monopolies within their own territories. The result has been ‘geo-blocking’. The EU has attempted to resolve this problem in a variety of ways, most recently in a Directive designed to reform the CMOs. In this paper, we document these various efforts, showing them to be motivated by a deep-seated and persisting belief in the capacity of ‘competition’ to resolve problems t...
Bibliotheken in Sachsen // 145 stadtweites Veranstaltungskonzept, das Alternativstandorte für Unt... more Bibliotheken in Sachsen // 145 stadtweites Veranstaltungskonzept, das Alternativstandorte für Unterhaltungsangebote bietet, die nach dem Umbau nicht mehr im Kulturpalast stattfinden können. Der Umbau des Kulturpalastes und sein neues Nutzungskonzept resultiert aus dem Wunsch nach einer Aufwertung des Standortes. Der Kulturpalast wird als traditionelles Zentrum des Dresdner Kulturschaffens nicht nur erhalten, sondern deutlich erweitert. Der Umbau und die Sanierung des Kulturpalastes, verbunden mit dem neuen Nutzungskonzept, ermöglichen es der Stadtverwaltung, ihre Stadtentwicklungsziele mit überschaubaren Kosten umzusetzen. Der Umbau und die Sanierung werden beim vorliegendem Nutzungskonzept zum einen stark durch die geplanten ca. 29,2 Mio. Euro Fördermittel (von einer Gesamtinvestition in Höhe von 65 Mio. Euro) unterstützt und machen ihn somit günstiger als jede Alternative zur Lösung der anstehenden Probleme, vor allem da eine Sanierung aus Brandschutzgründen ohnehin unabweisbar ist. Gleichzeitig ermöglichen die neuen Nutzer (vor allem die Zentralbibliothek) die Betriebskosten durch eine bessere Tag-und Nachtauslastung des Gebäudes und eine deutlich höhere Besucheranzahl relativ zu senken.
While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, a... more While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, and to collect and distribute the revenue - have traditionally been accepted as a progression towards a natural (national) monopoly, digital exploitation of music may no longer lead to such a fate. The European Commission has challenged the traditional structures through reforms that increase the degree of competition. This paper asks whether the reforms have had the desired effect and shows, through qualitative research, that at least regarding the streaming of music, competition has not delivered. Part of the reason for this may be that the services required by the now competing CMOs have changed.
December 2015 How can cultural heritage institutions tackle the barriers to online access within ... more December 2015 How can cultural heritage institutions tackle the barriers to online access within the EU, and what policy recommendation at EU and institutional level can be made to bring down the barriers?
The conventional wisdom on the evolution of copyright and what has shaped it has come under incre... more The conventional wisdom on the evolution of copyright and what has shaped it has come under increasing strain in recent years. As technical innovation pushes for reforms, the results are increasingly subject to political debate and tension. Examining how copyright has evolved and what has driven the process is of key importance because of the economic importance of copyright to individual countries. In the light of this and to contribute to possible solutions, it is necessary to examine what or who has driven the process. To do this, the evolution of copyright polices has to be mapped in a comparative way. This thesis examines the evolution of copyright in Germany, the US, the UK and at an international level between 1880 and 2010. The analysis itself is split between the culture and stringency of policies. Culture refers to the overall approach to copyright while stringency covers the scope of protection. This approach is original because it allows for a comparison of copyright sys...
While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations – to licence use, monitor use, a... more While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations – to licence use, monitor use, and to collect and distribute the revenue – have traditionally been accepted as leading to a natural (national) monopoly, digital exploitation of music may no longer support such a conclusion. The European Commission has challenged the traditional structures through reforms that increase the degree of competition. This paper asks whether the reforms have had the desired effect and shows, through qualitative research, that at least as regards the streaming of music, competition has not delivered. Part of the reason for this may be that the services required by the now competing CMOs have changed.
While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, a... more While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, and to collect and distribute the revenue - have traditionally been accepted as a progression towards a natural (national) monopoly, digital exploitation of music may no longer lead to such a fate. The European Commission has challenged the traditional structures through reforms that increase the degree of competition. This paper asks whether the reforms have had the desired effect and shows, through qualitative research, that at least regarding the streaming of music, competition has not delivered. Part of the reason for this may be that the services required by the now competing CMOs have changed.
Archives across the Netherlands are tasked to make their archives accessible online. However, pro... more Archives across the Netherlands are tasked to make their archives accessible online. However, progress has been slow, not least because it is difficult to determine who owns the rights to make works available online. Focusing on the Dutch public service radio and TV broadcasting sectors, this book adresses this challenge. First, it disentangles the nature of broadcasts by providing guidance on which aspects of a TV or radio broadcast can attract protection and who owns these. Secondly, it empirically establishes that the default ownership rules can only provide an incomplete picture of the rights ownership in the public service broadcasting sector: the ownership is more concentrated than copyright and neighbouring rights law suggests. Who owns the broadcasting archives? shows how different legal scenarios explain this rights concentration and establishes their likely practical influence on industry practice in the public service broadcasting sector across time.
JIPITEC 7 (2017) 3 - While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licenc... more JIPITEC 7 (2017) 3 - While the three functions of Collective Management Organisations - to licence use, monitor use, and to collect and distribute the revenue - have traditionally been accepted as a progression towards a natural (national) monopoly, digital exploitation of music may no longer lead to such a fate. The European Commission has challenged the traditional structures through reforms that increase the degree of competition. This paper asks whether the reforms have had the desired effect and shows, through qualitative research, that at least regarding the streaming of music, competition has not delivered. Part of the reason for this may be that the services required by the now competing CMOs have changed.
Bibliotheken in Sachsen // 145 stadtweites Veranstaltungskonzept, das Alternativstandorte für Unt... more Bibliotheken in Sachsen // 145 stadtweites Veranstaltungskonzept, das Alternativstandorte für Unterhaltungsangebote bietet, die nach dem Umbau nicht mehr im Kulturpalast stattfinden können. Der Umbau des Kulturpalastes und sein neues Nutzungskonzept resultiert aus dem Wunsch nach einer Aufwertung des Standortes. Der Kulturpalast wird als traditionelles Zentrum des Dresdner Kulturschaffens nicht nur erhalten, sondern deutlich erweitert. Der Umbau und die Sanierung des Kulturpalastes, verbunden mit dem neuen Nutzungskonzept, ermöglichen es der Stadtverwaltung, ihre Stadtentwicklungsziele mit überschaubaren Kosten umzusetzen. Der Umbau und die Sanierung werden beim vorliegendem Nutzungskonzept zum einen stark durch die geplanten ca. 29,2 Mio. Euro Fördermittel (von einer Gesamtinvestition in Höhe von 65 Mio. Euro) unterstützt und machen ihn somit günstiger als jede Alternative zur Lösung der anstehenden Probleme, vor allem da eine Sanierung aus Brandschutzgründen ohnehin unabweisbar ist. Gleichzeitig ermöglichen die neuen Nutzer (vor allem die Zentralbibliothek) die Betriebskosten durch eine bessere Tag-und Nachtauslastung des Gebäudes und eine deutlich höhere Besucheranzahl relativ zu senken.
IIC - International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law
Extended Collective Licensing (ECL) schemes have been put forward in Europe as one of the solutio... more Extended Collective Licensing (ECL) schemes have been put forward in Europe as one of the solutions for the licensing of out-of-commerce works by cultural heritage institutions. ECL schemes extend the application of freely negotiated copyright licensing agreements between a user and a collective management organisation (CMO) to the works of non-members of the organisation. Not every CMO is suitable to license works under ECL provisions, however. In particular, the legitimacy of any agreement crucially relies on the ''representativeness'' of the CMO. This article focuses on the notion of representativeness of CMOs. On the basis of current European and national legislation, we argue that the representative character of a CMO encompasses three essential elements to be considered from the perspective of the rights owners: (1) the CMO must have a broad membership among the potential rights owners in the market it serves; (2) it must have a proper mandate from the rights owners in terms of category of works and rights covered; and (3) it must take appropriate measures to reach and inform (non-)members about the exercise of rights. ECL schemes can only be sufficiently legitimate to presume tacit approval by non-members if this assessment of the three criteria is carried out carefully.
International Journal of Cultural Policy
Creative Industries Journal
Comics today are a major business and they form the source material for a whole range of sectors ... more Comics today are a major business and they form the source material for a whole range of sectors in the creative industries. In an environment where major investments are necessary to turn a comic into a cross-media success, commercial intermediaries such as Disney have become the key copyright holders. By controlling the copyright, they ensure full control over all aspects of its monetisation. However, this is not the only way success can be achieved on a commercial scale. In Japan, the creators of comics (Mangaka) keep their copyright-a direct contradiction to current copyright thinking. This paper addresses this conundrum by examining both the Manga business and copyright law to identify if the reasons why copyright is not centralised in the hands of the commercial intermediary, especially the publishers. The analysis will show that while there are differences between Japan and the EU/ US, but these do not affect the role of copyright law and indeed failing to acquire the rights is a choice, not a necessity. Instead, this article will highlight that the competitive Manga market in combination with the uniquely Japanese publication right and social control best explain why Mangas are successful and Mangaka keep their rights.
This paper examines the implications for European music culture of the European Union’s (EU) Digi... more This paper examines the implications for European music culture of the European Union’s (EU) Digital Single Market strategy. It focuses on the regulatory framework being created for the management of copyright policy, and in particular the role played by collective management organisations (CMOs or collecting societies). One of the many new opportunities created by digitalisation has been the music streaming services. These depend on consumers being able to access music wherever they are, but such a system runs counter to the management of rights on a national basis and through collecting organisations which act as monopolies within their own territories. The result has been ‘geo-blocking’. The EU has attempted to resolve this problem in a variety of ways, most recently in a Directive designed to reform the CMOs. In this paper, we document these various efforts, showing them to be motivated by a deep-seated and persisting belief in the capacity of ‘competition’ to resolve problems t...
Bibliotheken in Sachsen // 145 stadtweites Veranstaltungskonzept, das Alternativstandorte für Unt... more Bibliotheken in Sachsen // 145 stadtweites Veranstaltungskonzept, das Alternativstandorte für Unterhaltungsangebote bietet, die nach dem Umbau nicht mehr im Kulturpalast stattfinden können. Der Umbau des Kulturpalastes und sein neues Nutzungskonzept resultiert aus dem Wunsch nach einer Aufwertung des Standortes. Der Kulturpalast wird als traditionelles Zentrum des Dresdner Kulturschaffens nicht nur erhalten, sondern deutlich erweitert. Der Umbau und die Sanierung des Kulturpalastes, verbunden mit dem neuen Nutzungskonzept, ermöglichen es der Stadtverwaltung, ihre Stadtentwicklungsziele mit überschaubaren Kosten umzusetzen. Der Umbau und die Sanierung werden beim vorliegendem Nutzungskonzept zum einen stark durch die geplanten ca. 29,2 Mio. Euro Fördermittel (von einer Gesamtinvestition in Höhe von 65 Mio. Euro) unterstützt und machen ihn somit günstiger als jede Alternative zur Lösung der anstehenden Probleme, vor allem da eine Sanierung aus Brandschutzgründen ohnehin unabweisbar ist. Gleichzeitig ermöglichen die neuen Nutzer (vor allem die Zentralbibliothek) die Betriebskosten durch eine bessere Tag-und Nachtauslastung des Gebäudes und eine deutlich höhere Besucheranzahl relativ zu senken.