Australia: BOOK INDUSTRY UNITES AGAINST PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION CHANGES TO COPYRIGHT RULES

Australia/2 de junio de 2016/Fuente: guyraargus

Resumen: Los organismos que representan a las editoriales de libros, autores, impresores, agentes literarios, escritores y libreros de libros infantiles se han unido por primera vez para oponerse a las llamadas para la eliminación de ciertas protecciones de derechos de autor. Se trata de un proyecto de informe de la comisión que  sostiene la eliminación de las normas de importación paralela de escritores y editores se traduciría en precios de los libros más baratos de Australia, llevándolos más en línea con los de Estados Unidos y Gran Bretaña.

Un análisis de precios de 150 títulos de libros a través de Australia, los EE.UU., Gran Bretaña, Nueva Zelanda y Hong Kong encontró el mercado australiano era generalmente más baratos que los que, como Nueva Zelanda, donde los derechos de autor territorial había sido retirado. Algunos precios de los libros podrían caer en el mejor de un 10 por ciento si se desecharon las normas, la industria reconoce, pero el impacto global serían menos historias australianas.

Mientras tanto, las organizaciones financiar una campaña nacional de sensibilización – libros provocan Australia #BooksCreate – para llegar al público comprador de libros. Sostienen que: «Esta colaboración de la industria no tiene precedentes», según Michael Gordon-Smith, director ejecutivo de la Asociación de Editores de Australia. «Esto demuestra la fuerza de apoyo para los escritores de Australia y su escritura, y ofrece la oportunidad de seguir mejorando el rendimiento que sin poner en riesgo».

Book prices could fall by 10 per cent if copyright rules were scrapped. Photo: Tanya Lake

The peak bodies representing book publishers, authors, printers, literary agents, children’s book writers and booksellers have come together for the first time to oppose calls to scrap certain copyright protections.

The Productivity Commission’s draft recommendations to lift all restrictions on foreign book imports would cost jobs in all sectors of the publishing industry, irreversibly harm Australia’s cultural identity and impoverish authors with, at best, a marginal reduction in some book prices, they said.

Coupled with changes to intellectual property provisions, in which creative works would be opened to »fair use» without compensation, the result would be devastating to the 14th largest publishing industry in the world and the authors who depend on it, most of whom earned less than $13,000, their joint statement read.

More than 7000 new titles are published in Australia annually, generating $2 billion in revenue and publishers say they directly invest more than $120 million in Australian writers outside the education book sector.

The industry-wide report includes focus group research of 755 voters in the federal seat of McMahon, held by ALP’s Chris Bowen, and Prime Minister Turnbull’s seat of Wentworth showing strong public support for Australian authors and their work.

The commission’s draft report argues the removal of parallel import rules for Australian writers and publishers would result in cheaper book prices, bringing them more in line with those in the United States and Britain.

But the publishing industry counters that the commission has relied on inaccurate pricing data, some more than 12 years old, which prefigure steep discounting of books by large retail chains such as Big W.

An analysis of prices for 150 book titles across Australia, the US, Britain, New Zealand and Hong Kong found the Australian market was generally cheaper than those like New Zealand, where territorial copyright had been removed.

The retail price of three bestsellers were compared – Kate Morton’s The Lake House, Lee Child’s Make Me, and Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch – and the results showed Australian editions to be either generally on par or cheaper than other parts of the world.

Some book prices could fall by at best 10 per cent if the rules were scrapped, the industry concedes, but the overall impact would be fewer Australian stories.

The Australian Publishers’ Association, Australian Booksellers Association, the Children’s Book Council of Australia, the Australian Literary Agents’ Association and the Print Industry Association of Australia have signed off on the statement.

Meanwhile, the organisations will fund a national awareness campaign – Books Create Australia #BooksCreate – to reach out to the book-buying public.

«This industry collaboration is unprecedented,» according to Michael Gordon-Smith, chief executive officer of the Australian Publishers’ Association. «It shows the strength of support for Australian writers and their writing, and it offers a chance to continue improving performance without putting that at risk.»

Fuente: http://www.guyraargus.com.au/story/3943420/book-industry-unites-against-productivity-commission-changes-to-copyright-rules/?cs=36#slide=1

Imagen: http://images.nationaltimes.com.au/2016/06/01/7459382/Article%20Lead%20-%20wide1009868446gp9fhnimage.related.articleLeadwide.729×410.gp8zha.png1464776963416.jpg-620×349.jpg

 

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