Measures for Creators' Royalty!?

■ Measures for Creators' Royalty!?

The Copyright Subcommittee of the Cultural Council has begun its discussions this year.

The theme is "What are your thoughts on appropriate measures for returning royalties to creators?"

There are two main points:

1) The source of the royalties:

    Previously, the discussion focused on royalties from manufacturers to creators.

    That is no longer realistic.

    So, what possibilities are there?

    Internet businesses such as platforms

    Users of mobile devices and other telecommunications

    The general public, i.e., taxpayers

    The options vary depending on these stakeholders.

2) What is a reasonable amount of royalties?

If the reason is market failure, where the rightful compensation for content is lost, how much should it be quantitatively, and where is the lost profit flowing? The extent of the external economics/ripple effects of content should be demonstrated by data, and policies should be formulated accordingly.

Research and academic analysis are needed. This has not been done yet.

Additionally, "social understanding" is extremely important.

Once, the software and hardware, content, and device industries had a harmonious relationship.

Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, and other hardware manufacturers used to own record and film production companies.

Eventually, they became adversaries, leading to today's situation dominated by American IT companies.

This issue is not only a matter of business strategy within the related industries but also pertains to national industrial policy beyond mere regulatory offices.

It also poses an educational question of how to treat the production and consumption of content as something valuable.