EU Commission roadmap: A Single Market for Intellectual Property Rights

We started exploring the intellectual property rights (IPR) agenda of the European Commission here and here.

We arrived at the Commission's roadmap or strategy paper, published last spring:

A Single Market for Intellectual Property Rights: Boosting creativity and innovation to provide economic growth, high quality jobs and first class products and services in Europe; Brussels, 24.5.2011 COM(2011) 287 final (25 pages)

The communication is available in 22 EU languages.


Overview


The Contents offer an overview of the multitude of issues related to copyright and other intellectual property rights on the agenda of the EU Commission and the other institutions. I present the headlines (but without page numbering):

1. INTRODUCTION
2. OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR A SINGLE MARKET FOR IPR
3. KEY POLICY INITIATIVES TO MEET THE CHALLENGES AHEAD
3.1. Reform of the patent system in Europe and accompanying measures
3.1.1. A unitary patent protection
3.1.2. A unified patent litigation system
3.1.3. An IPR valorisation instrument
3.2. Modernisation of the trade mark system in Europe
3.3. Creation of a comprehensive framework for copyright in the digital single market
3.3.1. European copyright governance and management
3.3.2. Technology and database management
3.3.3. User-generated content
3.3.4. Private copying levies
3.3.5. Access to Europe's cultural heritage and fostering media plurality
3.3.6. Performers' rights
3.3.7. Audiovisual works
3.3.8. Artists' resale right
3.4. The issue of complementary protection of intangible assets
3.4.1. Trade secrets and parasitic copies
3.4.2. Non-agricultural geographical indications
3.5. Enhanced fight against counterfeiting and piracy
3.5.1. Public awareness
3.5.2. A more sustainable structure for the European Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy and new tasks
3.5.3. A review of the IPR Enforcement Directive
3.6. The international dimension of IPR
3.6.1. Multilateral initiatives, including co-ordination with international organisations
3.6.2. Bilateral negotiation and co-operation on IP protection with third countries
3.6.3. Enhanced IPR protection and enforcement at the EU border
4. CONCLUSIONS

The strategy is well documented and thus a valuable source for those who want to follow individual issues.

Naturally, matters have moved on since May 2011. We are going to return to the digital single market, or the single market for intellectual property rights, in future blog posts.



Ralf Grahn


P.S. For better or for worse, between the global issues and the national level, the European Union shapes our digital future and online freedoms. More than 900 euroblogs are aggregated by multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. Is your blog already listed among them? Are you following the debates which matter for your future?

I work as a speaker on EU digital policy and law.