62024CJ0037_SUM
Case C‑37/24
Uniunea Producătorilor de Fonograme din România (UPFR)andDADA Music SRL
v
Asociația Radiourilor Locale și Regionale (ARLR)
(Request for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Bucureşti)
Judgment of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 10 July 2025
(Reference for a preliminary ruling – Approximation of laws – Intellectual property – Collective management of copyright and related rights – Directive 2006/115/EEC – Article 8(2) – Broadcasting and communication to the public – Directive 2014/26/EU – Second subparagraph of Article 16(2) – Licensing – Radio broadcasting – Concepts of ‘equitable remuneration’ and ‘appropriate remuneration’ – Criteria for assessing the equitable or appropriate nature – Article 17(2) and Article 52(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Fundamental right to the protection of intellectual property – Scope and interpretation of rights and principles – National legislation repealing a system of minimum flat-rate remuneration)
Approximation of laws – Copyright and related rights – Directives 2006/115 and 2014/26 – Rental and lending right in respect of copyright work – Broadcasting and communication to the public – Obligation to ensure equitable and appropriate remuneration for rightholders – National legislation not guaranteeing minimum flat-rate remuneration for the broadcasting of phonograms for commercial purposes – Legislation repealing a system of minimum flat-rate remuneration without altering the criteria for calculating remuneration and without providing for a maximum period for adopting a new methodology – Whether permissible – Conditions
(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Arts17(2) and 52(1); European Parliament and Council Directives 2006/115, Art. 8(2) and 2014/48, Art. 16(2), second subpara.)
(see paragraphs 37, 42-45, 54-57, 59-66, operative part 1)
Approximation of laws – Copyright and related rights – Directives 2006/115 and 2014/26 – Rental and lending right in respect of copyright work – Broadcasting and communication to the public – Obligation to ensure equitable and appropriate remuneration for rightholders – Assessment by the national court – Scope – National legislation not allowing for such remuneration to be set – Possibility of relying on those directives in order to exclude that legislation – Precluded – Exception – Provided for by national law
(European Parliament and Council Directives 2006/115, Art. 8(2), and 2014/26, Art. 16(2), second subpara.)
(see paragraphs 74, 75, 84, operative part 2)
EU law – Interpretation in conformity with the whole body of primary law – Scope – Impossibility of interpreting national law in conformity with EU law – Obligations of national courts – Primacy – Conflicting national law – Automatic inapplicability of existing provisions – No need to request or await the prior setting aside of the national legislation at issue – Obligation for a national court to disapply a provision of national law which is contrary to a provision of EU law – Limits on that obligation – Provision of EU law not having direct effect
(Art. 288, third para., TFEU)
(see paragraphs 80-83)
See the text of the decision.