EU rewrites copyright rules to drive 'fair remuneration for creators'
The European Union is to ring the changes on copyright law after agreeing to scrap decades-old rules in order to obligate Alphabet-owned Google and Facebook to distribute revenues more evenly with the creative sector and remove copyright-protected content.
EU rewrites copyright rules to tackle Alphabet and Facebook dominance
First instigated two years ago the shake-up has been driven by a desire to protect content producers, by fully rewarding publishers, broadcasters and artists for their work.
In a tweet welcoming the decision EU digital chief Andrus Ansip commented: “Agreement reached on copyright! Europeans will finally have modern copyright rules fit for digital age with real benefits for everyone: guaranteed rights for users, fair remuneration for creators, clarity of rules for platforms.”
As a consequence Google, Instagram and others must sign licensing agreements with copyright holders before they can host their work online. They must also install upload filters to hinder the ability of others to post copyrighted content.
Google, which has previously threatened to pull Google News from Europe if the policy was enacted, has yet to decide upon its response.
The details will matter, so we welcome the chance to continue conversations across Europe! #eucopyrightdirective
— Google Europe (@googleeurope) February 13, 2019
Google had warned that the changes could adversely impact smaller original content creators.
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