YouTube Pulls Music Videos in Germany Over Licensing Dispute

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 1, 2009 - 11:09am.

Berlin - Repeating a scenario recently seen in the U.K., Google's (NASD: GOOG) YouTube has blocked music videos on its site in Germany, after licensing negotiations with local royalty collection society GEMA broke down, Billboard reported. Last month, YouTube pulled music videos in the U.K. after failing to reach an agreement with PRS for Music, the local rights collection society.

"Negotiations about the extension of the agreement have failed so far because YouTube is not willing to fulfill GEMA's requests for more transparency [relating to] the used musical repertoire," GEMA CEO Harald Heker told Billboard.

"YouTube wants the extension [to the license] on the basis of a flat fee without sufficient information [provided to GEMA] about the used repertoire and the number of streams. GEMA refuses this offer by YouTube because it is impossible to calculate a fair remuneration without the requested information and to pay this remuneration in an adequate way to GEMA's members."

While GEMA says that YouTube is unwilling to pay 1.3 cents per stream, a Google spokesman told Billboard that, while the company does believe that "interim" fee is too high, GEMA is actually demanding 15.9 cents per stream for a long-term agreement.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/f15fl (Billboard)

http://snipurl.com/f15xt [GEMA statement (in German)]

Published in DMW Daily, April 1, 2009

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Comments

Maybe Germany's version of

Submitted by music videos (not verified) on May 17, 2009 - 11:31am.

Maybe Germany's version of MTV will benefit from the squabble, at least. :)