European Copyright Directive adopted, what does it change?

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Avec 346 voix contre 267 et 36 abstentions, la directive européenne a été adoptée par le Parlement européen, le 26 mars 2019, à Strasbourg.

Malgré de longs et tumultueux débats durant ces deux dernières années, les institutions européennes se sont mises d’accord afin de garantir un environnement plus juste aux créateurs et aux artistes tout en gardant un Internet libre et ouvert.

A European directive on copyright: a necessity

Appeared with the printing and distribution of books, copyright protects the original work of a creator. However, with the advent of the Internet, and the development of broadcasting platforms, it had become necessary to clarify certain areas of copyright obscurity and adapt it to modern times.

The text voted on March 26 allows authors and creators “to obtain better compensation agreements” for the use of their works and content “appearing on Internet platforms”. Some platforms only pay a compensation considered derisory compared to the advertising revenue generated. This is where the musical crowdfunding is to be considered!

The law provides, on the other hand, to make these platforms responsible for the contents published by their users. It will be mandatory to enter into agreements with the creators of the works for remuneration, but also to remove the contents whose publication does not respect the copyright.

Nevertheless, the law fits, exceptions are provided for excerpt from works for parodic purposes, gifs or hypertext links. In addition, the guidelines will be lightened for startups so they are not penalized in their development. As for the sharing of hyperlinks, it will remain free as with the sharing of the support button of Support.link.

Thus, European states will have two years to put these provisions in place from a national point of view.

A European decision, an example for the world

Companies and associations representing authors, such as The International Council of Music Creators (CIAM), welcome such guidelines, as revenues “may be proportional to the success of their works.” Jean-Noël Tronc, director of the society of authors (SACEM), meanwhile, welcomed this decision.

It is “the first stone to rebuild the numerical and cultural sovereignty of Europe”. CIAM sees it as a “clear signal (…) that is a game changer for the global creators community,” a European initiation to enable international dialogue and encourage other countries to follow suit.