EU rules on "orphan works" proposed to help digital libraries

May 24, 2011, 12:09 GMT

Brussels - The European Union's executive on Tuesday called for the bloc to agree on common rules for exploiting so-called 'orphan works' - books or articles whose copyright holders cannot be traced.

Under the plans, recognized 'orphan works' would be listed and their status would be recognized across the EU. Procedures would also be in place for copyright holders to be compensated in case they reappear.

'The current proposal should make a major contribution to the development of various European digital library initiatives and their accessibility for everyone throughout the European Union,' the European Commission said in a statement.

The reform, presented by EU market regulation commissioner Michel Barnier, still needs to be approved by EU governments and the European Parliament.

In 2009, Google was forced to abandon plans to digitize and offer German-language orphan books for free on the internet. The commission said its proposal would also help the development of digital public libraries, museums and archives.

Also on Tuesday, the EU executive proposed to toughen EU custom rules to stamp out the trade in counterfeit goods, and pledged to boost cooperation with China, the country where a large part of counterfeit goods originate from.

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