EU internet copyright reform survives key hurdle
Italy, Poland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Finland vote against the bloc’s online copyright law
Brussels — EU member states narrowly approved a massive overhaul of the bloc’s online copyright law Wednesday, setting up a European Parliament vote to pass a law that has pitted traditional media against Silicon Valley. The lobbying battle to reform Europe’s copyright law has raged since September 2016 when the European Commission proposed to modernise copyright for the digital age, sparking a major debate between tech giants, artistic creators and member states. Negotiators for the European Council, which represents the EU’s 28 member states, and for the European Parliament had struck a provisional deal last week, but in a rare rebellion, several member states voted against the compromise on Wednesday, a European source said.
Italy, Poland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Finland voted against and released a joint statement critical of the deal. The reform’s goal was “to stimulate innovation, creativity, investment and production of new content”, the countries said. However...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.