Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

c 381 / 20 ΓΕΝ Official Journal of the European Communities 16 . 12 . 97

INFO 2000 PROGRAMME

Call for proposals lor projects to stimulate the development and use of multimedia information

content — trading multimedia intellectual property rights

( 97 / C 381 / 12 )

( Text with EEA relevance )

In the framework of the Council Decision of 20 May

1996 ( OJ L 129, 30 . 5 . 1996, p. 24 ) adopting a multi ­
annual Community proramme to stimulate the devel ­
opment of a European multimedia content industry and
to encourage the use of multimedia content in the
emerging information society ( INFO 2000 ), the
European Commission invites proposals for pilot or
exploratory projects with the following object :

To contribute to the enhancement of the current
multimedia rights trading environment in the European
Union by increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of
multimedia rights clearance processes between right ­
holders and multimedia product developers .

For the purposes of the call, multimedia rights clearance
is defined as the process whereby multimedia producers
search for relevant components, assess the legal status of
these components and seek to obtain from the right ­
holders ( or their representatives ) the required rights for
the intended reuse of components in a multimedia
product .

Multimedia Rights Clearance Systems ( MMRCS ) are
likely to provide the following functionality : digital
storage of components descriptions, identification and
searchability of components, previewing of components,
provisions of reliable legal status and licensing
information, support for various contractual schemes,
secure delivery of components, support for multiple
payment and security mechanisms, and integration with
asset management, production and exploitation
environments .

Proposals may address one or more of the following
areas : text ( books, magazines, newspapers, manuscripts,
etc .), still images ( photographs, graphics, paintings,
maps, architecture, sculptures, etc .), moving images
( video, animation, special effects, pantomime, chor ­
eography, motion picture, etc .), and audio ( music, sound
effects, sound recordings, MIDI, narration, voice-overs
in a motion picture, etc .).

Proposals contributing to the integration and interop ­
eration of distributed specialized clearance services at
European level and proposals favouring the reuse of
public sector controlled components at the European
level will be particularly welcomed . Both sector inte ­

gration approaches ( e.g. integration of text-based
component collection across Europe ) and cross-sector
integration approaches ( e.g. integration of text, image,
sound component collections across different Member
States ) may be proposed .

Proposals should be supported by the relevant European
federations or associations, show substantial user
involvement and indicate their potential to contribute to
the realization of one or more of the information society
policy objectives in terms of job creation, lifelong
learning, efficient, transparent and responsive
government, democracy, social cohesion, regional
cohesion, and cultural and linguistic diversity . Proposals
contributing to the solution of specific problems of
SMEs will be particularly welcomed .

Projects may cover feasibility studies, prototype devel ­
opment, standards development, pilot system devel ­
opment and evaluation, awareness actions and other
actions or a combination of these elements, depending
on specific sector requirements and state of development .

The principal organizations considered to be able to
participate are the various rightholders in the rights
transmission chain, both from the public and private

sectors .

In order that interested organizations may make public
their readiness to collaborate in such projects, the
Commission is making available on its Internet site :
http: / /www.echo.l u and open space where
potential projects may be sketched out . Interested organ ­
izations may also wish to consult information about
EU RTD projects addressing electronic copyright
management systems ( ECMS ), available on
http :// www . cordis . lu .

Community financial support is based on actual costs
incurred, normally labour costs and travel costs over a
two-year work period . The support will be calculated at
up to 50 % of those costs, subject to a ceiling of ECU
250 000 per project . The Community financial
contribution under the present programme may not be
cumulated with a payment from any other European
Community programme or source for the same project .
An indicative budget for the support of actions from this
call is ECU 2,2 million .

16 . 12 . 97 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 381 / 21

This call for proposals is open to entities, whether L-2920 Luxembourg .
private or public, within the European Economic Area Fax : ( 352 ) 40 116 22 34
( EEA ) ('). All projects must be transnational in scope and E-Mail : info2000@echo.lu
include cooperation between independent partners across
national borders .

Further information on this call and the conditions for
submitting proposals may be obtained from the following
address :

INFO 2000 Central Office,
European Commission,
DG XIII-E, EUFO 1179,

(') The EEA countries are the 15 Member States of the
European Union and Norway, Iceind and Liechtenstein .

This documentation may also be obtained by access to
the World Wide Web Server I :, "M Europe at URL
http: / /www.echo.l u

All proposals responding to this call must be addressed
to the Commission at the address indicated in this notice

and sent by registered post or by courier service by 5
p.m . on 17 April 1998 at the latest, the postmark or
receipt by post office or courier service being proof of
time of dispatch, propoals may also be delivered to one
of the Commission 's offices within the Community by
the dame date .

INFO 2000 PROGRAMME

Call for proposals for strategic projects to stimulate the development and use of multimedia

information content — exploiting content resources in the public sector

( 97 / C 381 / 13 )

( Text with EEA relevance )

In the framework of the Council Decision of 20 May

1996 ( OJ L 129, 30 . 5 . 1996, p. 24 ) adopting a multi ­
annual Community programme to stimulate the devel ­
opment of a European multimedia content industry and
to encourage the use of multimedia content in the
emerging information society ( INFO 2000 ), the
European Commission invites proposals for strategic
projects with the following aim :

To make more readily available the information resources
held by the public sector for exploitation in European
multimedia content services .

The projects should focus on specific types of
information that have high value for Europe 's business,
industry, research and citizens . Relevant resources are
principally those held by the public sector at regional,
national and transnational levels ; where appropriate,
however, projects will also integrate data from other
sources in the private sector . A core activity of projects
will be to establish public-private partnerships covering
as many of the countries of the European Economic
Area as possible, where data holders are allied with
organizations, particularly those in the private sector,
competent to add value and facilitate the pan-European

exploitation of the resources concerned . The end
objective shall be to make comprehensive European
information accessible for multimedia exploitation in
commercial and other applications and an important part
of the work will focus on the creation of inventories and

directories to facilitate such access . It will also be
generally necessary to set up adequate systems for inte ­
grating data across national boundaries and, where
relevant, across neighbouring subject areas . End-user
applications and prototypes may be developed, in the
course of the projects, to demonstrate strategies for
multimedia delivery taking account of potential user
needs, current research and technological development,
and integration into systems for electronic commerce .
Therefore, proposals with substantial involvement of the
content industry, in particular SMEs, will be welcome .

In order to stimulate the exchange of information
between organizations competent to collaborate in such
projects, the Commission is making available on its
Internet site : http: / /www.echo.l u /calls.htm l a space
where potential initiatives may be sketched out . Organ ­
izations that possess or have access to relevant
information resources of significant size or extent are
invited to consult this page and submit any commentaries
or suggestions for projects .