Law & order
The first thing that comes to your mind is the NYPD and the TV show every aspiring lawyer used to watch (and basically every single one of us at the time, duh).
Yeah… Well, not this time.
One must admit, 2018 has proved to be an amazing and life-changing year for EU lawmakers in terms of law and regulations changes. We know they always strive to make all the necessary changes to protect its citizens in every possible aspect, so what is the case now?
Starting from mostly this July, EU lawmakers were set to vote on a controversial copyright reform that could change how internet companies treat uploaded content from users.
Even though it was rejected earlier this summer, today, on September 12th after a grassroots campaign and fierce campaigning on both sites, the members of the European Parliament voted in favor of starting negotiations with member states to update copyright laws for the digital age.
Why is all of this important?
Critics fear the rules are too broad and could affect parodies, remixes, and even links to articles and websites. But many musicians, authors, and other creators back the reforms which they view as necessary to support artists.
Hundreds of changes have been made since the July vote, but opponents say major issues remain.
What are the changes:
1. Tech giants must pay for work of artists and journalists which they use
2. Small and micro platforms excluded from the directive’s scope
3. Hyperlinks, “accompanied by “individual words” can be shared freely
4. Journalists must get a share of any copyright-related remuneration obtained by their publishing house
Parliament’s position for talks with member states to hammer out a final deal was approved by 438 votes to 226, with 39 abstentions. This is a pretty impressive result, don’t you think?
Article 13 has attracted the most attention and been labelled an “upload filter” by critics.
If a user tries to upload copyrighted music, photos, or anything else, it must be checked against a database – and filtered out if it contains copyrighted material.
Effectively, it makes sites like Facebook and Youtube responsible for what its users upload.
Supporters, such as record labels, musicians and basically everyone from the creative industry, say the new rules will protect artists and creators, making it easier for them to earn a living — and that the amendments made since July should assuage concerns.
And while some critics say the changes will hurt small businesses to the benefit of existing internet giants, those same giants — including Facebook and Google — also oppose the directive, which would make them liable for content uploaded by their users.
Axel Voss, the rapporteur on copyright has recently said this:
Fair pay for artists and journalists online: Parliament has backed the beginning of negotiations with member states on new harmonised #copyright rules. What does this mean for our memes and how will it affect the internet? → https://t.co/OMsEYYusJb pic.twitter.com/CvRh9mNQpt
— European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) September 12, 2018
What’s it going to be? The change is inevitable and we cannot wait to see how all these improvements will affect the internet world.
Stay seated, ladies and gentlemen…
