MUMBAI: Warner/Chappell Music and SPA, the Portuguese collecting society, announced that SPA is the latest addition to Warner/Chappell’s Pan-European Digital Licensing (PEDL) initiative.

SPA will be now be authorised to offer non-exclusive rights in Warner/Chappell Music’s Anglo-American repertoire on a pan-European basis. The societies already participating in PEDL are BUMA/STEMRA, PRS for Music, SABAM, SACEM, SGAE and STIM.

PEDL has achieved a new level of freedom for digital services in their choice of collection society from which to obtain Warner/Chappell’s pan-European rights. PEDL remains open to any collection societies that are willing to observe a group of common standards devised to deliver transparency, efficiency and accountability in copyright administration along with accurate and appropriate compensation for authors.

The PEDL initiative is consistent with the European Commission’s Recommendation of 18 October 2005 on collective cross-border management of copyright and related rights for legitimate digital music services.

Warner Chappell Music senior vice president, international legal and business affairs Jane Dyball said, "It is important to us that societies of all sizes can be PEDL partners if they are willing to commit to the standards of administration and transparency which we require of our PEDL partners.  We hope one day to have an opportunity to apply these service levels to all revenue streams for the benefit of our writers.   In the meantime we hope to make it easier for our digital partners to secure European-wide digital licences through an easy, one-stop process, whilst retaining value for rights-holders and opening up new opportunities for songwriters."

SPA executive board member Tozé Brito said, "We are delighted to agree to raise our service levels to those required by PEDL and look forward to participating in an initiative which is open to all societies while protecting rightsholders choice."