European Parliament reopens copyright debate
The European Parliament rejected a draft directive aimed at modernising copyright rules earlier today, sending it back to the drawing board.
The 278 MEPs voting in favour of the directive were outweighed by the 318 who voted against it.
Stakeholders across the board criticised the current draft, with articles 11 and 13 coming under particular fire.
Article 11 addresses the so-called value gap—the remuneration received by authors and performers compared to the profits made by the internet platforms making rights owners’ works available.
This means that publishers could charge services such as Google for displaying parts of a work in search results.
Article 13, which would require internet platforms to filter uploaded content, has also been criticised.
Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web, and more than 70 other internet experts spoke out against the provision in a letter sent to the Parliament in June.
On June 20, the Parliament’s legal affairs committee voted in favour of the directive.
Now, the Parliament’s position will be up for debate, amendment and a vote during the next plenary session, in September.
David El Sayegh, secretary general at the Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music, said the vote is a setback, but not the end.
“We will not be discouraged by today’s decision and will continue to mobilise the support of musicians and music lovers across the world, in the hopes of reaching a fair agreement with these platforms that will safeguard the future of the music industry.”
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