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Deutsch: Buma/Stemra führt Steuern für die Einbindung von Audio und Video ein

Dutch collecting society Buma/Stemra announced that it will impose a levy on Internet users for embedding audio- and videomaterial on their website, starting 1 January 2010. The levy starts at EUR 130 for the first six embedded links per website per year. The rules could affect small bloggers and users of social network-sites such as Facebook.

As the rules were legally questionable and did not sufficiently take into account the interests of internet users and Dutch musicians, Buma's announcement immediately led to protests in the blogosphere and on Twitter. Dutch digital rights organisation Bits of Freedom drafted a letter to Buma/Stemra, assisted by numerous concerned internet users through text annotation website co-ment.net, calling for a revision of the rules. Bits of Freedom then handed its letter over to the CEO of Buma/Stemra. Meanwhile, Dutch politicians further questioned the rules in Parliament.

Three days later, on 9 october 2009, Buma/Stemra responded to the criticism by stating that it would for now not apply its rules to non-commercial use. Bits of Freedom responded the same day, questioning the definition of non-commercial use by Buma/Stemra. Indeed, on 14 october Buma/Stemra revealed that even one advertisement on a website would be considered 'commercial use'. Bits of Freedom continues its efforts to defend communication freedom in relation to these controversial measures by Buma/Stemra.

Brochure Buma/Stemra Digital Music Licences (only in Dutch
http://www.bumastemra.nl/NR/rdonlyres/DF0B3120-8850-4DF1-ACD6-17F94B0B...

Letter Bits of Freedom to Buma/Stemra (only in Dutch, 6.10.2009)
http://www.bof.nl/briefbuma061009.pdf

NOS eight o'clock news report (only in Dutch, 7.10.2009)
http://player.nos.nl/index.php/media/play/tcmid/tcm:5-576060/

(Contribution by Ot van Daalen - EDRi-member Bits of Freedom - Netherlands)