[FYI] Towards a consensus on Digital Rights Management Systems (DRMS) Digital Rights Management workshop Brussels, 28 February

["Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>]

<http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt& 
doc=SPEECH/02/89|0|RAPID&lg=EN&display=>  

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Mr Erkki Liikanen Member of the European Commission, responsible for 
Enterprise and the Information Society Towards a consensus on Digital 
Rights Management Systems (DRMS) Digital Rights Management workshop 
Brussels, 28 February 2002  


                              DN: SPEECH/02/89     Date: 28/02/2002


                                  TXT: EN
                                  PDF: EN
                                  DOC: EN

                             SPEECH/02/89 

                             Mr Erkki Liikanen 

Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and the 
Information Society  

Towards a consensus on Digital Rights Management Systems (DRMS)  

Digital Rights Management workshop  

Brussels, 28 February 2002  

I would like to extend a warm welcome to you all and thank you for 
showing such enthusiasm and interest in participating in today's 
workshop. I would also like to thank the speakers, whose role it will 
be to kick-off what I am sure will be a lively and interesting 
debate.  

Digital Rights Management Systems play a key role in the distribution 
of digital content.  

More recently, Commission staff have drawn up a working paper on some 
of the main issues raised by DRMs. The document discusses among 
others the legal framework, the technology, business models, and 
significance of DRM's to consumers.  

My colleague Frits Bolkestein and I are keen to promote the 
development and use of DRM systems. We have organised this workshop 
in order to give the stakeholders an opportunity to set out their 
views on how best to address these issues.  

The critical questions are:  

How do we create an open market for digital content?  

In this market, how will the rights of all parties be secured?  

What are the tools required to enable the required level playing 
field?  

Content and creativity are the life-blood of the Information Society 
and the knowledge-based economy. As we move to broadband networks, we 
need to ensure that there are sufficient incentives to continue to 
produce and distribute multimedia content and services under 
appropriate conditions. Copyright protection has an essential role in 
this.  

Where are we policy-wise?  

eEurope 2002 should become eEurope 2005. The informal ministerial 
meeting convened by the Spanish Presidency supported strongly this 
initiative in Vitoria, Spain last week.  

The first priority is to recognise the importance of content and 
applications, whether they are provided by commercial or public 
services, and ensure that they are available, not just through 
computer terminals, but also through mobile terminals, televisions 
and other innovations.  

The second priority is eGovernment. Governments can make a huge 
difference by making far greater use of inter-active on-line 
facilities in areas such as eHealth and eLearning.  

We need faster access technologies such as ADSL, cable modem, 3G, 
digital-TV, satellites, fibre optic and fixed wireless access, to 
provide the speed and geographical coverage for the new, improved 
services being developed.  

That is why the third priority is broadband. It will be up to the 
market to roll out the future networks. But public authorities have a 
role to play. To make this as efficient as possible we need a 
coherent strategy. Broadband networks and rich, attractive content go 
hand-in-hand.  

At the EU level, we must create favourable legal conditions. Here, I 
am convinced, the new telecoms framework will encourage broadband 
investment. National governments can also help by implementing 
legislation and various other ways.  

And fourth, we need to tackle the issue of security. Over the past 
year, spamming has tripled and viruses have doubled. Here we have to 
balance our wish for an open and easy-to-use Internet with measures 
to protect it from gratuitous attacks and junk mail.  

>From a legal standpoint, the Copyright Directive constitutes a 
fundamental milestone. It provides the legal framework in which 
Digital Rights Management Systems will be administered.  

You will hear more on these legal aspects from Frits Bolkestein and 
his collaborators in the course of day.  

>From a technological standpoint, the key challenge is to bring open, 
flexible, interoperable and easy-to-use DRMs to the marketplace. 
These technologies can play an important role in supporting the legal 
framework and in ensuring the efficient and lawful distribution of 
digital content to the user.  

Openness and flexibility are essential in order to leave plenty of 
room for innovation and creativity in the fast-moving and dynamic 
digital environment. Consumers should not be locked into 
technological solutions. Stifling of experimentation and progress 
needs to be avoided.  

Interoperability is essential to respond efficiently to the demands 
of the market and consumers. Common and open technological platforms 
will enhance interoperability and reduce operational costs.  

The technologies are largely available today and further development 
is underway. But we need a shared vision about how content will be 
managed and distributed in the future and under what conditions.  

Any technological solution should be based on a balance between the 
interests of authors, rightholders and consumers. This is a pre-
requisite for robust market development.  

DRM efforts should include the protection of individuals' privacy. If 
privacy and security concerns are not sufficiently addressed, DRMs 
may not be easily accepted by the market.  

We should therefore set about an inclusive and open consensus-
building process that will facilitate speedy implementation and 
genuine acceptability of DRMs for all actors.  

The Commission is prepared to facilitate such a process and to 
support it. But it is up to you, the stakeholders, to take the lead.  

There are many different interests to take into consideration. Good 
faith and commitment is needed from all sides to find common ground.  

This workshop can be a starting point for such a consensus-building 
process. It might then be appropriate to take stock of progress in, 
say, six months' time. We need to keep up this momentum.  

Thank you and I wish you a highly stimulating and constructive 
workshop.  
 
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