Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

C 282/14 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.11.2003

**Notification of an agreement on the administration of phono-mechanical rights in Europe**

**(Case COMP/C2/38.772 — Cannes Extension Agreement)**

(2003/C 282/12)

**(Text with EEA relevance)**

1. On 1 July 2003 the Commission received a notification pursuant to Articles 2 and 4 of Council
Regulation No 17 of the Cannes Extension Agreement. The agreement was concluded on 18 November
2002 between the five major music publishers, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music
Limited, EMI Music Publishing Europe, BMG Music Publishing International Limited and Sony/ATV Music
Publishing Europe and the EEA/Swiss mechanical rights collecting societies, AEPI, Austro Mechana, GEMA,
MCPS, MCPSI, NCB, SDRM, SABAM, SGAE, SIAE, SPA, STEMRA and SUISA.

2. The Cannes Agreement was concluded on 13 November 1997 and finally expired on 30 June 2002.
The Commission issued an administrative letter in respect of the Cannes Agreement on 9 November 2000.
The parties stated at the time that the purpose of the Cannes Agreement was to bring about greater
efficiencies in the administration of phono-mechanical rights in the EEA. These included progressive
reductions in the societies' commission on the distribution of mechanical royalties to be achieved
through real and permanent cost savings and efficiency improvements. The parties also agreed to
suspend temporarily, during the term of the agreement, the direct distribution of royalty income.

3. The Cannes Extension Agreement extends the terms of the Cannes Agreement for another 3½ years
commencing on 1 July 2002 and expiring on 31 December 2005. The terms of the ‘Cannes Agreement’
shall be extended automatically for periods of one year thereafter unless any of the contracting parties
serve a notice of termination.

4. Other than extending the terms of the Cannes Agreement — including the commitment to suspend
any kind of direct distribution of royalty income during the term of the Agreement — the Cannes
Extension Agreement deals with additional issues which require a mutual understanding between the
publishers and the collecting societies.

5. The Cannes Extension Agreement sets terms for the calculation of the commission in respect of the
royalties distributed. It sets maximum rates, which collecting societies may deduct, for royalties distributed
under central licensing and other agreements. The parties agree on a charter for third party accountancy
firms to carry out verifications of the collecting societies' abidance of the agreement on rates. If a collecting
society requires additional funding for specific transactions — such as investment in systems for the
administration of mechanical rights and distribution of income, taking action against piracy, audit and
control — then the society must negotiate an increase to the commissions on a case by case basis.

6. The Cannes Extension Agreement also provides that collecting societies must agree with the relevant
member, including publishers, before giving any money to any record company or allowing any record
company to retain or be paid money in the form of a rebate or reduction in tariffs or any other form. This
applies unless the discount relates to a new form of exploitation for an introductory period, allowances for
timely payments or improved accounting returns, agreements with association of users facilitating the
collection of monies or agreeing a settlement of a dispute between a collecting society and a record

company.

7. In the agreement the collecting societies acknowledge that their role is primarily to administer,
protect and promote the interests of their members, including the publishers and that, if a collecting
society would wish to engage in any commercial activity, the activity should be carried out in relation to
the promotion of the interests of the society's members and shall never be an activity that would be
undertaken by a publisher or a record company save for the purpose of production of non-profit

25.11.2003 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 282/15

recordings with the explicit consent of any publisher or other rights holder. Nor shall any collecting
society act in any significant manner where it shall be both licensor and licensee of any rights. Publishers
on the other hand shall not take any action to impair or preclude the collecting societies' role in the
administration, protection and/or collection of rights on behalf of their members.

8. Upon preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified co-operation agreement could
fall within the scope of Regulation No 17.

9. The Commission invites interested third parties to submit any observations they may have on the
proposed operation. In accordance with Article 20 of Regulation 17, such observations will be protected
by professional secrecy.

10. Observations must reach the Commission not later than three weeks following the date of this
publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax ((32-2) 295 01 28) or by post under the
reference Case COMP/C2/38.772 — Cannes Extension Agreement, to:

European Commission
Directorate-General for Competition
Antitrust Registry
Office 0/18
J-70
B-1049 Brussels