Copyright news anyone? The European Commission has proposed a pan-European copyright and licensing system for online music which, it is hoped, would cut the costs involved in artists and content owners managing their copyrights and securing their royalty payments.
At the moment artists, content owners and download platforms have to deal with different copyright systems in each of the EU's 25 member nations. US download firms like iTunes say that has delayed their expansion in Europe, while others say the plethora of copyright bureaucracies means a higher percentage of overall revenues are lost to the administration costs of monitoring and securing royalties.
If the new Europe wide system was adopted, EU chiefs argue, the whole music industry would benefit, with individual artists enjoying "considerably enhanced" earnings.