The conflict between YouSee, a Danish telecommunications company, and the Danish acting community has escalated and has now reached a critical phase. The dispute centers around payments to artists and production companies for the screening of Danish-made films and TV series. YouSee is currently in a disagreement with the Danish Actors’ Association (Dansk Skuespillerforbund) and production companies Zentropa and Crone Film, who believe that YouSee is not paying a fair price for the necessary rights.
According to the actors, they have not received payment for the screening of their content since April 1 of this year. This has prompted the Danish Actors’ Association to explore options for seeking an injunction to stop YouSee from displaying Danish-produced content.
Benjamin Boe Rasmussen, Chairperson of the Danish Actors’ Association, stated, “YouSee has terminated all agreements with the rights holders but continues to sell our content to their customers. This is unacceptable for our members.”
YouSee has filed a lawsuit at the Maritime and Commercial High Court (Sø- og Handelsretten) against the rights holders, arguing that the current prices are too high. At the same time, YouSee wants to pay a significantly lower price, which has drawn criticism from Jørgen Ramskov of Copydan World TV (Copydan Verdens TV). Ramskov has stated that YouSee proposes to pay 25 percent of the previous price, which he finds unreasonable. He suggests that the matter should have been brought before the Copyright License Board (Ophavsretslicensnævnet), which could quickly assess a fair price. The Maritime and Commercial High Court is expected to take four to five years to resolve the case, which Ramskov views as a deliberate strategy by YouSee to prolong the dispute.
Currently, the rights holders are willing to negotiate but demand payment during the course of the conflict. However, the discrepancy between the parties makes a quick resolution difficult to foresee. Ritzau, a Danish news agency, is still awaiting a comment from YouSee regarding the ongoing situation.