Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte

Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte
Abbreviation GEMA
Website www.gema.de

Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte (English: Society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights; GEMA) is a performance rights organization from Germany. It is the only such institution in Germany and a member of BIEM and CISAC. Harald Heker is the Chief Executive Officer.

GEMA represents some 60,000 composers, authors and music publishers and the rights of more than a million copyright owners internationally whose works are used in Germany.[1] GEMA collected 850 million euros in copyright fees in 2008.[2] In Germany, case law has established the so-called GEMA Vermutung, a presumption that works are managed by GEMA due to its monopoly position.[3] As such, in Germany the burden of proof is on the accused infringer that the work is not managed by GEMA.[3]

Music videos for major label artists on YouTube have been unavailable in Germany since the end of March 2009 as GEMA sought to raise its fee charged to Youtube to 12 euro cents per streamed video.[4] This would mean monthly payments to GEMA of nearly 700,000 US dollars, a fee a Youtube spokesman described as "prohibitive."[2][5] The issue is set to be taken up by a California court.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Now YouTube stops the music in Germany". The Guardian. 1 April 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/apr/01/youtube-digital-music-and-audio. 
  2. ^ a b O'Brien, Kevin J. (2 April 2009). "Royalty Dispute Stops Music Videos in Germany". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/technology/internet/03youtube.html. 
  3. ^ a b Torremans, Paul (2007). Copyright Law: A Handbook of Contemporary Research. Research Handbooks in Intellectual Property. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 265. ISBN 9781845424879. http://books.google.com/books?id=wHJBemWuPT4C&pg=PA263. 
  4. ^ Lischka, Konrad (31 March 2009). "Youtube sperrt Musik-Videos in Deutschland". Der Spiegel. http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/0,1518,616605,00.html. 
  5. ^ Hodgin, Rick C. (April 9, 2009). "YouTube blocks GEMA music videos in Germany". TG Daily. http://www.tgdaily.com/business-and-law-features/41913-youtube-blocks-gema-music-videos-in-germany. Retrieved April 9, 2009. 
  6. ^ Spahr, Wolfgang (24 June 2011). "GEMA Under Fire For Royalties Dispute With YouTube". Billboard. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/publishing/gema-under-fire-for-royalties-dispute-with-1005250002.story. 

External links