KUALA LUMPUR – Sinar Harian editor-in-chief Zamri Rambli has been appointed chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) tasked with studying the proposed establishment of a Collective Management Organisation (CMO) for news publishers.
Malaysian Media Council (MMC) chairman Tan Sri P Nallini Pathmanathan said the committee comprises representatives from major national and regional news organisations, digital media outlets, as well as legal and intellectual property experts.
She said the TAC has six months to develop an implementation framework for the proposed CMO.
"Among the matters to be examined are the governance structure, appropriate regulatory pathways and requirements, as well as engagement with the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO)," she said in a statement on Thursday.
The committee will also assess potential commercial licensing models and mechanisms to ensure the CMO can operate sustainably.
This includes determining how remuneration from the licensed use of news content can be collected and distributed to rights holders.
Nallini said the committee will submit its recommendations and proposed framework to the MMC and relevant stakeholders upon completion of its work.
She said stronger copyright protection is increasingly important to ensure the long-term sustainability of journalism in Malaysia.
"Our objective is to ensure that those who invest in producing original journalistic works have appropriate mechanisms to protect their work and participate fairly in the value it creates," she said.
Nallini said the initiative takes into account rapid changes in the media landscape, where news is increasingly discovered, distributed and used through search engines, social media, digital aggregators and other online services.
She said emerging technologies have also created new ways of accessing and using journalistic content, raising questions over how publishers can effectively manage and protect their copyright.
"For news publishers, this is no longer simply about individual cases of copyright infringement.
"It is increasingly about having an effective industry-wide mechanism to protect the value of original journalism and ensure publishers can continue investing in producing trusted and quality news," she said.
Nallini said publishers continue to bear the costs of producing news, including expenses involving journalists, editors, technology, time and other resources, while their content can be quickly reproduced, distributed and reused across multiple platforms.
She said a collective mechanism could help publishers manage their rights and licensing matters more efficiently, while ensuring the lawful use of news content provides fair returns to rights holders.
Meanwhile, Zamri said the initiative recognises the significant investment required to produce trusted and original journalism.
"Every news report represents an investment involving journalists, editors, technology, time and resources.
"In today's digital environment, journalistic works can be reproduced, distributed and reused across various channels at great speed.
"We need to find practical ways for news publishers to protect the value of their work while ensuring the lawful use of news content can continue," he said.