UK industry promotes private copying model.

European scrutiny of private copying levies prompts UK interest

As Brussels struggles to get to grips with reforming private copying levies throughout Europe, the UK music industry is attempting to persuade it that its proposed licensing model could be a goer for all 27 member states.

Last week EC internal markets commissioner Charlie McCreevy, who gave the industry a fillip earlier this year when he called for recorded copyright to be extended to 95 years in Europe, turned his attention to private copying levies at a one-day public hearing in Brussels.

With a number of key UK executives, including British Music Rights CEO Feargal Sharkey, in attendance, McCreevy reaffirmed his support for a system to compensate authors, composers and artists for the economic harm they suffer through private copying.

There is currently no community-wide private copying levy, with 22 of the 27 member states imposing a vast range of different systems and rates.

The UK is one of the five European territories that has no private copying levy, which means none of the estimated E600m (#471.8m) raised in Europe to compensate songwriters and composers flows back to UK performers.

Indeed, it is still technically illegal for UK music fans to format shift a CD from their collection onto an MP3 player for personal use.