The Press Association, Evening Standard, Independent and Reuters are among more than 200 publishing and music organisations across Europe calling on the European Parliament to adopt new copyright laws.
The copyright directive has already been agreed by all three EU political institutions, but must pass a final vote by a full meeting of the European Parliament at the end of this mont before member states will have two years to create national legislation to match.
If passed, it would mean online platforms could continue to share only “very short” news snippets before infringing the copyright of the publishers who produced the content, with provisions to stop news aggregators from abusing this.
A letter to MEPs, backed by 227 signatories, said: “This directive has been long sought to create a much-needed level playing field for all actors of the creative sector… whilst giving citizens better access to a wider array of content.
“This is a historical opportunity. We need an internet that is fair and sustainable for all. This is why we urge policymakers to adopt the directive quickly, as agreed in trilogue negotiations.”
The letter is also signed by the Professional Publishers Association, European Newspaper Publishers’ Association, Federation of European Publishers, and World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.
Picture: Wikimedia Commons
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