Neelie Kroes: Haast is geboden (and we should leave passion aside)

B9 11631. Speech Neelie Kroes (Europees Commissaris belast met de Digitale Agenda): Copyright and innovation in the Creative Industries The 2012 Intellectual Property and Innovation Summit, The Lisbon Council Brussels, 10 September 2012. 

“We can' t look at copyright in isolation: you have to look at how it fits into the real world. So let's ask ourselves: how well is the current system achieving those objectives, in the world we live in today? (….)  there are other problems too beyond licensing or orphan works. That's why the June 'Compact for Growth and Jobs' makes clear we need to focus also on substantive copyright reform.
 
(…) In short, the world has changed, and is changing still. The change is rapid, it is profound, and it is a huge opportunity for the creative sector. Each day we fail to respond, we are missing out. (…) Even today we see the consequences of that loss. The initiatives we can't seize. The potentially high-flying ideas that get stuck on the runway. The glory and the benefits taken by American companies, not European. And every day that passes we put ourselves in a yet worse position. I'm afraid Europe can't afford that, not at the moment.
 
I'm glad to see that change is finally coming for copyright, at many different levels. During this process of assessment we should leave passion aside and take a pragmatic view. Is our current system consistent and relevant within the real world? I am open to ideas from all stakeholders: artists, consumers, businesses, researchers. Only together we can adapt ourselves to the future, and stimulate innovation and growth. The world is changing fast. Let's not wait for ever faster technology to be ever more constrained by over more outdated legislation. Let's not wait for the USA to speed ahead of Europe. Let's act right now: for artists, consumers, for our economy. Thank you."

Lees de volledige speech hier.