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Tens of thousands of Belgian companies and self-employed people already pay licenses to use copyrighted material in their business. Reprobel plays a central role in this, but ignores
Tens of thousands of Belgian companies and self-employed people already pay licenses to use copyrighted material in their business. Reprobel plays a central role in this, but ignores part of the IT area.
The Internet is fed with millions of creative images and texts. Since many works can be found for free on the Internet, it is often mistakenly assumed that they can simply be used. Copyright laws were created for this purpose, with the simple rule of thumb: no digital reproduction or communication of protected works without a license from the rights holder.
Although many companies are already strongly committed to it, Reprobel CEO Jean-Paul Langhoor-Beitia notes that smaller IT companies and consultants still miss the boat too often. When do you as an (IT) company have to pay for copyrights and how does that work?
No fewer than 80,000 Belgian companies and self-employed people already pay for the digital license from Reprobel, a world-leading Belgian copyright organization, for the use of copyrighted material in their business. Although this already seems to be a significant number, Reprobel’s CEO notes that smaller IT companies and consultants still account for too little of it. The large IT and consulting companies can easily find their way to Reprobel’s digital license.
Many IT experts are supporters of the free internet movement and say the internet should be free.
Langhoor-Beitia, CEO at Reprobel
To a certain extent, this statement is true: it is free to view and read works by authors and publishers on the Internet if they do not stand behind you Paywall stand. The misconception, however, is that there is nothing behind it Paywall? Then the entire use is free. Copyright extends beyond this. The accessibility of copyrighted works on the Internet does not mean that you can easily reproduce or distribute them. From this point on, companies owe copyright to each employee separately.
Reprobel represents the copyrights of Belgian authors and publishers, but has also agreed these rights with its foreign partner organizations worldwide. “A copyrighted work is a comprehensive concept. If it’s non-trivial and has been thought about, then it’s usually protected. “Think, for example, of specialist literature, a photo, a scientific article, a press article or even a vacuum cleaner manual,” explains Langhoor-Beitia.
We all know that we have to pay SABAM to play music at work, for example, or that we are not allowed to simply use trademarks or patents. However, the reproduction and distribution of copyrighted content on the Internet is a vague concept for many companies. This ignorance means that too many smaller IT companies and consultants cannot find the way to Reprobel’s digital license. If licensing conditions already exist, what do they mean for your company and what about copyrighted works outside Belgium? Do I have sufficient insight into what my employees are doing online and what protected works are circulating in my company? Most companies get stuck with these and many other questions.
Every company whose employees use third-party, copyrighted images and texts, both digitally and on paper, owes copyright. This goes further than most companies think: cutting and pasting a few paragraphs from an interesting customer service article, inserting a photo into a PowerPoint presentation, giving that presentation (even internally), printing or scanning protected documents, even sharing a cartoon in a WhatsApp group with colleagues. Many companies are unaware of these copyrights and therefore do not have sufficient licenses for them. However, non-compliance has negative consequences.
Companies that violate copyrights face fines of up to several hundred euros per violation. The initiative usually comes from the rights holders, but Reprobel is also involved and can use legal means of control. While this financial risk can be a driving force for companies, we should not lose sight of the core of the story. As the term copyright suggests, they are intended to protect the rights of creative authors. This is important in a small country with multiple languages and a vulnerable publishing market.
Reprobel plays a key role in the Belgian creative and information sector. On the one hand, it helps companies and self-employed people to find their way through the copyright quagmire with a handy digital license, and on the other hand, it ensures that the remuneration reaches the authors and publishers. This final step takes place under the watchful supervision of the Federal Public Service for Economic Affairs and a recognized auditor.
Without the works of our authors and publishers, there wouldn’t be much to read on the Internet. This is also the core of copyright compensation. “That’s what we call fair pay, fair play“They are in good shape as a company and are ensuring that rights holders receive fair compensation so they can continue to create, inform and invest,” says Langhoor-Beitia. Since its founding, Reprobel has distributed more than 450 million euros to rights holders.
After reading this article, are you convinced that you, like 80,000 other Belgian companies, owe copyright to the creative sector? If you compare the tax-deductible compensation for the Reprobel license – often no more than a few dozen euros per year – with the risk that you as a company take by not paying for copyrights, the calculation is easy to make. Additionally, this is a great way to give the creative industry what it deserves.
Reprobel recently renamed its combined corporate license izili to Reprobel (www.izili.be). This is a “simple” copyright license specifically tailored to the digital world and working from home. It offers Belgian companies and self-employed people comprehensive licensing coverage in all simplicity and for Belgian and foreign source works. A simple act to protect yourself as a company and at the same time do good for society: fair pay, fair play.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
