Title: The regulation of the Spanish Copyright Commission and the 2014 reform: a missed chance for change in Spain and Europe?

Authors: Paula Barnola; Pablo Ramírez

Addresses: Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira Law Firm, Passeig de Gràcia, 111, 08008 – Barcelona, Spain ' Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira Law Firm, Passeig de Gràcia, 111, 08008 – Barcelona, Spain

Abstract: On the occasion of the recent reform of the Spanish Copyright Act, which entered into force on January 1, 2015, this paper focuses on the evolution of the Spanish Copyright Commission. The Commission is a public body that, inter alia, carries out arbitration and mediation proceedings in conflicts regarding the establishment of tariffs by copyright collective management societies. In order to facilitate the readers understanding of the real use and efficiency of the Spanish Copyright Commission, this paper shall describe: 1) its origins and legal developments; 2) its main characteristics and ultimate objectives; 3) how, in general terms, similar bodies operate in certain other European countries; 4) the principal changes introduced by the last reform of the Spanish Copyright Act and its compatibility with the provisions of the new Directive 2014/26/EU.

Keywords: copyright; collective management societies; Spanish Copyright Commission; arbitration; mediation; general tariffs; Spain; Directive 2014/26/EU; EU Collective Rights Management Directive; intellectual property rights; IPR.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIPM.2014.070728

International Journal of Intellectual Property Management, 2014 Vol.7 No.3/4, pp.135 - 150

Received: 10 Nov 2014
Accepted: 03 Feb 2015
Published online: 22 Jul 2015 *

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