A bill, expected to be formally approved mid-March by the European Union (EU), is causing concern with big internet platforms because it makes companies liable for copyright violations.
The bill is called Article 13 of the EU Copyright Directive and could make services such as YouTube, Facebook and Google responsible if their users upload copyright-protected movies, music, etc.
Additionally, Article 13 will allow news publishers to negotiate licenses with aggregators such Alphabet Inc.
The regulation, aimed to reign in tech giants and enhance the rights of news publishers, came after months of opposition and intense lobbying by internet companies and open-internet activists and it is moving along the EU parliament after Germany and France proposed giving smaller internet companies some exemptions to the rule.
Companies will have a 2 year grace period if passed.
Google has lobbied against Article 13, saying it “would change the internet as we know it”.
Article 13 would force the internet titan to negotiate license fees with publishers, payout rights holders and ensure its technology is up to identify copyrighted material for violations by its users.
The company has encouraged young internet content creators to rally against it, exaggerating the reach of Article 13, alleging the regulation will kill off memes and the open internet.
Why the discussion and the passage of Article 13 of the EU important to you?
“Any company that runs operations in Europe needs to be aware of the changes in laws and regulations and intellectual property law changes are not the exception”, said Attorney Marcos E. Garciaacosta.
“If you sell products or services in Europe, you need to be aware of the different jurisdictions your intellectual property operates.”
Marcos E. Garciaacosta Law Group will keep you posted in any of these changes to intellectual property law in different jurisdictions.