Regional radio stations to be relieved
Regional, license-fee-funded radio stations in mountainous and outlying areas should pay less to play music.
A number of subsidies should no longer be taken into account when calculating copyright remuneration. In a motion, CVP National Councillor Martin Candinas (GR) criticizes the current practice. Subsidized radio stations pay more for music than non-subsidized radio stations with the same income. The reason for this is the different calculation of payments for copyrights.
In its response published on Thursday, the Federal Council acknowledges the problem and is prepared to take action. According to the Federal Council, the appropriate protection of intellectual property is one of the cornerstones of a liberal legal system. At the same time, copyrights and performers' rights represent a considerable expense item, especially for many small local radio stations. A balance must be found between the various interests. The Federal Council believes that the licensed radio stations in mountainous and peripheral regions should receive preferential tariffs. This is because the state does not pay the fee for playing music, but for spoken contributions. The government is therefore prepared to initiate a corresponding amendment to copyright law.
The Federal Council proposes that the motion be accepted, but does not want to go as far as motion author Candinas. The exemption of legally earmarked subsidies, for example for the construction of broadcasting networks or archiving, is appropriate. However, the complete exclusion of fee money from the calculation of copyright remuneration would go too far. (SDA)
