Irano|se 8enhamou: "Why |s |t that everyone |s w||||ng to pay for other th|ngs, but
we are not w||||ng to pay for cu|ture?"
Worrles abouL Lhe need Lo uphold lnLellecLual properLy, rlghLs managemenL and LerrlLorlal developmenL of culLure were among Lhe Loplcs dealL wlLh aL Lhe parallel sesslons held Lo complemenL Lhe plenary sesslons of Lhe flrsL day of Lhe 2nd Luropean lorum on CulLural lndusLrles.
Sesslon faclllLaLor lranolse 8enhamou, a professor of economlcs aL arls 13 unlverslLy, Lalked abouL Lhe problems caused by Lhe acLlvlLles of plraLes. "Why ls lL LhaL everyone ls wllllng Lo pay for oLher Lhlngs, buL we are noL wllllng Lo pay for culLure?" she sald. 8enhamou underllned Lhe facL LhaL when any oLher klnd of properLy ls sLolen we conslder lL a bad Lhlng, buL when lL comes Lo culLure we see lL as qulLe normal.
CopyrlghL and whaL lL symbollses was one of Lhe Loplcs for debaLe. Cne of Lhe speakers was lranclsco Cabrera, an analysL from Lhe deparLmenL of !urldlcal lnformaLlon aL Lhe Luropean Audlovlsual CbservaLory ln lrance, who sald LhaL copyrlghL helps cover Lhe cosLs of a fllm. "1he fllm lndusLry ls Lhe mosL slgnlflcanL example," he explalned.
Cabrera also Lalked abouL Lhe general royalLy for lnLerneL downloads. Pe sald LhaL Luropean law and lnLernaLlonal LreaLles need Lo adapL Lo Lhls need. Pe also posed a rheLorlcal quesLlon regardlng a maLLer LhaL has obvlously been worrylng Lhe secLor from Lhe very flrsL day: WhaL should be done wlLh Lhe money obLalned from Lhe copyrlghL? Pow should lL be dlsLrlbuLed?
Magdalena vlnenL, resldenL of Lhe lnLernaLlonal lederaLlon of 8eproducLlon 8lghLs CrganlzaLlons (lll8C) polnLed ouL LhaL ln some Lu counLrles Lhese sums are collecLed "[olnLly" (puLLlng LogeLher whaL ls collecLed on behalf of all areas and caLegorles of culLure), before belng shared ouL.
Cn Lhe sub[ecL of plraLlng wrlLLen works, accordlng Lo vlnenL, "1he problem lles ln Lhe buslness model. 8lghLs managemenL organlsaLlons are noL Lhe flrsL Lo acL, lL ls Lhe publlshlng house LhaL makes Lhe flrsL sale. Cur managemenL cannoL precede LhaL of Lhe publlsher". lor example, rlghLs managemenL of mulLlmedla works ls llmlLed. 1he soluLlon ls Lo "see where user demand ls and provlde Lhe creaLors of works wlLh legal securlLy." "1he problem ls LhaL laws always follow socleLy," sald vlnenL.
ln conLrasL, Lhe asslsLanL lnvesLlgaLor aL Lhe Legal laculLy of 8lrkbeck College aL London unlverslLy, !alme SLapleLon, spoke ln favour of a less rlgld approach Lo lnLerneL downloads, saylng "l would llke Lo see much greaLer Lransparency ln Lhese companles (rlghLs managemenL companles) and Lo see who makes Lhese asslgnmenLs." SLapleLon explalned Lhe need Lo break away from economlc and markeL models of Lhe pasL. "lnsLead of Laklng fundamenLallsL poslLlons, we should conslder whaL ls good abouL copyrlghL and whaL ls wrong wlLh lL." Pe flnlshed by referrlng Lo Lhe facL LhaL copyrlghL
was orlglnally re[ecLed by publlshlng houses, whlch "wanLed a more dlverse markeL".
ln Lhe sesslon on auLhors' rlghLs, operaLors who work wlLh proLecLed conLenLs were dlsLlngulshed from Lhe "new operaLors" who have used Lhese conLenLs Lo develop oLher servlces, wlLh Lhe ldea LhaL noL all conLenLs web pages should be conLrolled, because some offer opporLunlLles LhaL should be Laken advanLage of.
WlLh regard Lo Lhls, vlnenL sald LhaL Lechnology has meanL Lhere are very good buslnesses on Lhe lnLerneL buL LhaL Lhe problem ls LhaL "agreemenLs are noL reached because Lhere are many confllcLs of lnLeresL". She also added LhaL "1hose unable Lo adapL Lo change wlll noL survlve. We are backlng volunLary measures. 1he besL way of leglslaLlng ls by provldlng user saLlsfacLlon, and also by rewardlng culLural creaLors."
Cne of Lhe problems up for dlscusslon was Coogle's monopoly as a search englne. SLapleLon sald lL ls "dangerous" Lo have a slngle model responslble for provldlng us wlLh lnformaLlon abouL everyLhlng.
Invest|ng |n new |deas w|thout fear of fa||ure
AnoLher of Lhe sesslons dealL wlLh Lhe Loplc of fundlng, and was faclllLaLed by lerre- !ean 8enghozl, execuLlve dlrecLor and professor of lnnovaLlon and 8egulaLlon of ulglLal Servlces aL Lhe Lcole olyLechnlque ln lrance. 1hls meeLlng lncluded a dlscusslon of Lhe SaLelllLe AccounL for CulLure ln Spaln, a sLaLlsLlc from Lhe naLlonal SLaLlsLlcal lan, whlch alms Lo assess Lhe lmporLance of culLure Lo Lhe Spanlsh economy. 1hese daLa have shown LhaL Lhe CM ln culLure grew more Lhan 30 beLween 2000 and 2007.
lrom whaL was sald durlng Lhe speeches, publlc lnsLlLuLlons should noL be provlders of culLure buL should lnsLead "esLabllsh sLraLegles and ald for dlfferenL culLural organlsaLlons, encouraglng access Lo loans, fosLerlng Lax cuLs", and should asplre Lo a "mlxed model" halfway beLween whaL happens ln Lurope and Lhe unlLed SLaLes.
1hls sesslon made on an appeal Lo culLural lndusLrles Lo become lndependenL from governmenL organlsaLlons. "Subsldles are a good Lool for supporLlng Lhe culLural secLors, buL Lhey should be vlewed as a seed for growLh and noL as a source of food. lncreased rlsk caplLal needs Lo be developed. 1he fuLure wlll lnvolve lnvesLlng ln good ldeas ln splLe of Lhe hlgh rlsk of fallure."
1he cu|tura| serv|ces va|ue cha|n
ln Lhe meeLlng faclllLaLed by !ose 8ulz navarro, professor ln 8uslness CrganlsaLlon aL Cdlz unlverslLy, Lhe sub[ecLs dlscussed were Lhe proflles and compeLencles of workers ln Lhe culLural lndusLrles. Cne of Lhe ldeas was LhaL of speclallsaLlon of Lhe secLor, whlch "seems Lo be a prlorlLy sLraLegy for guaranLeed growLh". 1he deflnlLlon of proflles and compeLencles for achlevlng a more speclallsed lndusLrlal secLor "ls noL slmple". 8uslness compeLencles are added Lo LradlLlonal ones.
lL was added LhaL "Lhe value chaln of a culLural producL or servlce opens up a range of dlfferenL professlonal proflles, whlch, added Lo Lhe vasL dlverslLy of a secLor where boLh publlc and prlvaLe agenLs are found, promlses soluLlons Lo Lhe problems of Lhe professlon".
We are creat|ve, but we f|nd |t hard to "access the market"
ln Lhe parallel sesslon on local and Luropean producLlon, Lhe parLlclpanLs hlghllghLed LhaL globallsaLlon ls a challenge for culLural lndusLrles "Lo Lhe exLenL LhaL some producLs galn an lnLernaLlonal markeL easler Lhan oLhers". AspecLs such as scanL markeL knowledge of sales sLraLegles and fallure Lo sLay ahead are decldlng facLors when lL comes Lo lnLernaLlonallzlng a producL, explalned hlllppe kern, execuLlve dlrecLor of kLA Luropean Affalrs, ln 8elglum. "We are creaLlve, buL we flnd lL hard Lo "access Lhe markeL". Added Lo Lhls ls Lhe norLh Amerlcan predomlnance ln secLors llke clnema and muslc, ln conLrasL Lo Lhe scanL peneLraLlon of Luropean producLs ln Lhe lnLernaLlonal markeL. 1hls may be due Lo whaL Andy raLL, rofessor of CulLure, Medla and Lconomy ln Lhe CenLre for CulLure, Medla and CreaLlve lndusLrles 8esearch aL klngs College London deflnes as a "breakdown ln Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween producers and audlences" generaLed by Lhe sharp change of Lhe markeL model. 1he challenge now conslsLs of resLrucLurlng Lhls relaLlonshlp. Soclal consclence has become necesslLy, a percepLlon of culLure as a key economlc source, and Lhe correspondlng developmenL of a common pollcy LhaL encourages cooperaLlon among counLrles and whlch wlll allow Luropean producLs Lo be compeLlLlve on Lhe markeL.
Insp|r|ng conf|dence |n pr|vate |nvestors
ln Lhe sesslon on Luropean programmes for local and reglonal developmenL, Lhe role of Lhe culLural and creaLlve lndusLrles ln local developmenL of clLles was dlscussed. ln Lhls conLexL, lL was emphaslsed LhaL Lhe revenue generaLed by dlfferenL Luropean programmes and munlclpallLles as well as soclal and economlc agenLs are caLalysed by Lhe developmenL of culLural and creaLlve lndusLrles ln Lhelr LerrlLorles.
1hree greaL blocks of concluslons were drawn from Lhe sesslon. llrsLly, Lhe vlLal role of Luropean, reglonal and local publlc lnsLlLuLlons Lo supporL Lhe creaLlon of Lhe large-scale lnfrasLrucLures necessary for culLural and creaLlve companles Lo conducL Lhelr acLlvlLles.
lL ls also necessary Lo creaLe a Luropean regulaLory framework LhaL harmonlses regulaLlon of Lhe culLural and creaLlve lndusLrles. 1he purpose of Lhe fund would be Lo "creaLe a feellng of confldence LhaL would sLlmulaLe and guaranLee prlvaLe lnvesLmenL ln Lhe culLure and creaLlve secLor."
1he parLlclpanLs agreed on Lhe advlsablllLy of glvlng culLural and creaLlve lndusLrles access Lo fundlng lnsLrumenLs Lo encourage Lhelr developmenL. Powever, ln Lhls conLexL Lhey underllned LhaL, ln Lhe mld-Lerm, culLural and creaLlve lndusLrles "should
be economlcally susLalnable and noL consLanLly subsldlsed".
1hey also emphaslsed LhaL creaLlon needs Lo be looked aL as a whole, and Lhe process should be recognlsed as Lhough lL were an ecosysLem, "a creaLlve ecosysLem fundamenLally based on Lhe creaLlvlLy, economy and lndusLrlal Lrlnomlal". 1hese are areas LhaL musL be lncluded and llsLened Lo ln Lhe process of preparlng publlc pollcles almed aL Lhe secLor.
LasLly, Lhe speakers agreed Lo ask for recognlLlon of Lhe added value LhaL culLure conLrlbuLes ln Lhe soclal and economlc sphere ln Lhe local world, and LhaL culLure should be lncluded ln Lhe new Lurope 2010 economlc sLraLegy. lL ls hoped LhaL Lhe nexL meeLlng of MlnlsLers of CulLure and Lhe work belng done on Lhe Creen aper by Lhe Luropean Commlsslon wlll be Lhe flrsL sLeps Lowards achlevlng Lhe ob[ecLlve of susLalnable economlc growLh based on culLure and creaLlon.
Alan Scott - New Critical Writings in Political Sociology Volume Three - Globalization and Contemporary Challenges To The Nation-State (2009, Ashgate - Routledge) PDF