The new Copyright Directive

Music writing, performances and newspaper articles are published online every day. The digital revolution has led to a new way of consuming artistic and journalistic content. Whether online or offline, authors, artists and journalists should be paid fairly for their work. This is why the parliament voted to update online copyright rules that dates back 17 years. » We would like that the platform’s take more responsibility on the content of the platform. And second, we would like to avoid infringement of copyright protected work from the beginning. » The parliament wants to ensure that content sharing platforms and news aggregators, don’t deprive artists off remuneration when using their content.

Digital companies would have to ensure that any uploaded copyrighted material is blocked if no fee has been paid. Press publishers should also be able to claim remuneration if platforms use their content. » It’s a balanced situation between two fundamental rights. So, on the one hand side this freedom of expression, and on the other hand, the property rights. » Authors and performers would also have stronger negotiation rights. To strengthen their position when dealing with large powerful platforms. They will be able to terminate exclusivity clauses, or claim more remuneration if what they have received is disproportionately low. In an attempt to encourage startups, and innovation, the tax exempt small, and micro platforms from the director.

Online encyclopedias or open source software platforms like Wikipedia and GitHub will be exempt from the rules. The proposal also offers exceptions for content used for education, and cultural institutions like museums and libraries.