Law and legislation

Resources | Law and legislation

Council of Europe

Making culture accessible : access, participation and cultural provision in the context of cultural rights in Europe (2010)
Author asserts that the enjoyment and fulfilment of the right to participate in culture requires an enabling environment and a legal framework that offers a solid basis for the protection of rights related to cultural actions. According to Laaksonen, a society that demonstrates an interest in nurturing cultural and spiritual needs in conditions of liberty has a greater chance of developing a sense of social responsibility among its members. Study is a general overview of existing legal and policy frameworks in Europe, covering access to and participation in cultural life, cultural provision and cultural rights.

UN – UNESCO

The ABC of copyright (2010)
Booklet intended to address a wide audience of people concerned with the creation, circulation, and transfer of knowledge and provide answers to questions they may have about copyright.

European Union

Illicit trade in cultural goods in Europe : characteristics, criminal justice responses and an analysis of the applicability of technologies in the combat against the trade (2019)
Study contributes to a better understanding of the illicit trade in cultural goods in Europe by providing insights into its various aspects, such as source, transit and destination of illicitly traded goods; trafficking routes; trends and patterns of trafficking and illicit trade operations and actors involved. It also discusses approaches to measuring the volume of the illicit trade, and explores national and international criminal justice responses to trafficking in cultural goods to identify challenges faced by the relevant law enforcement authorities in implementing effective responses.

Analysis of the legal rules for exploitation windows and commercial practices in EU Member States and the importance of exploitation windows for new practices (2014)
This report aims to provide an overview of the release windows systems in the EU and its possible evolution, paying particular attention to their impact on emerging VoD business practices

Research/Debates

The independence of media regulatory authorities in Europe (2019)
Report focuses on the independence of regulatory authorities and bodies in the broadcasting and audiovisual media sector in Europe. It discusses the definition of the independence of a regulatory authority or body, the criteria used to assess its independence, and the legal framework embodying this independence at the European level, as well as provide analysis of the status and functioning of regulatory authorities and bodies in a selection of nine European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Slovenia).

Mapping of licensing systems for audiovisual media services in EU-28 (2019)
Report provides both a mapping and a description of licensing and related systems for audiovisual media services in the European Union, and a comparative analysis on the functioning of these various systems.