Dr Smita Kheria, Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law, University of Edinburgh
CREATe’s Dr Smita Kheria (Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law, University of Edinburgh) was invited to speak at a meeting of the European group of The International Federation of Musicians, in Belgrade in November 2016. The Federation’s main objective is to protect and further the economic, social and artistic interests of musicians represented by its member unions.
On a panel on Intellectual Property, Dr Kheria spoke on the recent proposal for a new EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. She presented a critique of Articles 14 and 15 of the proposed directive which aim to create a “transparency obligation” and a “contract adjustment mechanism” to enable authors and performers to receive information on the exploitation of their works and additional remuneration. She outlined some of the key problems with these provisions, including ambiguities in the text, the nature and scope of the wording, and the potential for practical impact, if any, on authors and performers. Drawing upon her extensive empirical research for a CREATe work package, on the intersection of copyright with the everyday lives of professional creators and performers, her presentation underlined the need for a careful revision and re-calibration of the proposed directive’s provisions in order for them to properly and positively affect the working lives of musicians.