New Cjeu Reference On Television Set As Well As Radio Broadcasts ... Inwards Hotel Rooms

From hotel rooms ...

Will the Court of Justice of the European Union always larn tired of references for a preliminary ruling on the correct of communication to the public?

It's likely non the correct fourth dimension to ask, every 2nd a construct novel reference on this rattling theme has merely been made from Republic of Austria (although this fourth dimension non inwards relation to the InfoSoc Directive), every 2nd 1709 Blog friend Axel Paul Ringelhann (Ringlaw) explains.

Here's what Axel Paul writes:

"C-641/15 - Verwertungsgesellschaft Rundfunk (VGR) is even thus roughly other example earlier the CJEU concerning communication to the public. 

As tin hold upwards inferred shape the query referred to the CJEU it appears that VGR, the Austrian collecting lodge managing rights for broadcasting organisations, has taken legal activity against an operator of a hotel for infringement of broadcasting rights.

On two Dec 2015 the Vienna Commercial Court lodged a asking for a preliminary ruling amongst the CJEU concerning  interpretation of Article 8(3) of Directive 2006/115/EC on rental correct together with lending correct together with on for sure rights related to copyright inwards the land of intellectual belongings (Rental together with Lending Rights Directive). 

The referring courtroom wants to know whether the standard of ‘payment of an entrance fee’ inside the pregnant of Article 8(3) Rental together with Lending Rights Directive is satisfied where

-        separate hotel rooms are equipped amongst TV-sets together with the hotel operator distributes the dot of TV together with radio programs, capable of beingness seen or heard past times agency of these apparatus (‘hotel room TV’), and

-        the hotel operator charges payment for rooms per nighttime (‘room price’), which too includes the utilisation of a TV-set together with TV together with radio programs, capable of beingness seen or heard past times agency of these apparatus.

... to spas ...

One mightiness wonder why, ane time again, the CJEU has to bargain amongst communication to the populace together with TV inwards hotels (think of the CJEU judgments in OSA). 

As opposed to erstwhile cases, which were either based on Article 3(1) InfoSoc Directive (SGAE, OSA) or on Article 8(2) Rental together with Lending Rights Directive (PPI, SCF), the example at paw addresses the query of communication to the populace nether the angle of the broadcaster’s dot right, every 2nd provided past times Article 8(3) Rental together with Lending Rights Directive (but come across too Rome Convention Article 13(d)).

The broadcaster’s rights is a rattling contentious theme inwards Austrian copyright law. 

Unfortunately the recent copyright reform which entered into strength on 1 Oct 2015 together with established, inter alia, levies on storage media, opened upwards access clause for scientific papers, together with farther limitations together with exceptions amongst regard to educational purposes, did non convey much legal certainty every 2nd regards this other expanse of law.

Here's the master version of the questions inwards German.

... together with dorsum to hotel rooms

Ist das Tatbestandsmerkmal „gegen Eintrittsgeld“ des Art 8 Abs. iii der Richtlinie 2006/115/EG des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 12.12.2006 zum Vermiet- und Verleihrecht sowie zu bestimmten dem Urheberrecht verwandten Schutzrechten im Bereich des geistigen Eigentums erfüllt, wenn

- inwards den einzelnen Zimmern eines Hotels TV-Geräte bereitgestellt sind und vom Hotelbetreiber das Signal diverser Fernseh- und Hörfunkprogramme durch diese wahrnehmbar gemacht wird ("Hotelzimmer-TV"), und

- vom Hotelbetreiber für croak Benutzung des Zimmers (mit "Hotelzimmer-TV") ein Entgelt für das Zimmer pro Nächtigung ("Zimmerpreis") verlangt wird, das auch croak Nutzung des TV-Geräts und der dadurch wahrnehmbaren Fernseh- und Hörfunkprogramme mitumfasst?"

Thanks thus much Axel Paul!

If you lot want to comment on this case, together with then you lot arrive at got fourth dimension until 28 Jan 2016 to allow the UK Intellectual Property Office know what you lot think. You tin e-mail your views to policy@ipo.gov.uk.