The European Parliament passed the EU Copyright Directive which promises to penalise platforms such as Facebook and YouTube whilst also protecting freedom of expression for smaller platforms.
European Parliament approves new copyright rules for the internet - EU parliament website
Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market - Wikipedia
Background
On 20 June 2018, the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) voted to proceed with a bill on copyright - the EU Copyright Directive in the digital single market. The Bill was then put forward for vote by the rest of the EU Parliament.
Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox and Placido Domingo were among 1,300 musicians who wanted the law changed because they believe sites such as YouTube and Facebook cheat musicians out of royalties because users can illegally upload their music.
Many felt the Bill went too far and would have needlessly censored the web. A petition against the reforms led by critical MEPs called Save Your Internet gathered over 700,000 signatures.
Article 13 (now renumbered Article 17) of the Bill, in its original form, would require web platforms provided by Google, Microsoft, Wikipedia and internet companies to install copyright filters on material posted – basically any website that allows users to post text, images, sounds or code would need a way to assess and filter content. This could prevent people from seeing important information if these automatic filters block them for reasons of copyright.
Article 11 of the Bill would have required web publishers, such as Disability Rights UK and other charities, to pay a 'link tax' when posting snippets of news from other outlets, which may hinder our ability to link to key reports and news items.
In July 2018, MEPs voted by a margin of 40 to delay implementation of a controversial new copyright law till the autumn.
Yesterday, MEPs adopted a slightly amended directive by 348 votes in favour, 274 against and 36 abstentions.
What's in the EU Copyright Directive?
Article 13/17
Internet platforms, such as YouTube and Facebook, face incentives to pay for artists and journalists’ work used. Start-up platforms will be subject to lighter obligations. Cloud storage devices are not included. Non-commercial online encyclopedias, such as Wikipedia, or GitHub are exempt from the Directive.
The directive does not require the use of copyright filters but critics have suggested that this may be the only way for companies to avoid paying copyright fees.
Article 11
Hyperlinks to news articles, accompanied by “individual words or very short extracts” can be shared freely - Reproducing more than “single words or very short extracts” of news stories will require a licence - a link tax. Memes or GIFs, can be shared freely.
What next?
If member states accept the European Parliament Directive, they will have 2 years to implement it, once it is officially published (2021).