February 15 (SeeNews) - The European Commission said on Wednesday it is referring Bulgaria and five other EU countries to the Court of Justice of the EU for failure to notify the adoption of national legislation transposing two EU directives concerning copyright.
In the first case, Bulgaria, along with Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Poland and Portugal, will face EU court proceedings for not having notified complete transposition measures on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market, the Commission said in a statement.
The second infringement proceeding is being initiated against Bulgaria, together with Finland, Latvia, Poland and Portugal, for not having notified of full transposition of a more specific EU directive on copyright and related rights applicable to certain online transmissions of broadcasters.
"These two directives aim to modernise copyright rules for consumers and creators to make the most of the digital world. They protect rightholders from different sectors, stimulating the creation and circulation of more high-value content," the EU executive said. It added that the directives, adopted in 2019 as a revision to 2016 rules, aim to broaden the choice of music or audiovisual content by reducing transaction costs and facilitating the distribution of radio and television programmes across the EU.
The new copyright rules improve the fairness of remuneration for creators and rightholders, press publishers and journalists when their works are used on online platforms. They also introduce copyright exceptions and simplified licensing mechanisms for the use of copyright-protected material online in the spheres of education, research and cultural heritage.
The court referral comes after the deadline for adopting relevant national legislation expired in June 2021. The Commission followed up with the standard process of issuing letters of formal notice, then reasoned opinions to the sanctioned states, before resorting to the EU court.