The European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission have made an agreement on the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, which modernises copyright law for the first time in 18 years.
The parliament had adopted the directive in September 2018, which makes online platforms and aggregators liable for copyright infringements where only a small part of a news publisher’s text is displayed, and liable parties must pay individuals rights holders, not just publishers. Simply sharing hyperlinks to articles, along with a description, will be free of copyright constraints. The directive also strengthens the negotiating rights of authors, allowing them to revoke or terminate the exclusivity of a licence for their work.
European Commission vice-president for the digital single market Andrus Ansip said: ‘To finally have modern copyright rules for the whole of EU is a major achievement that was long overdue. The negotiations were difficult, but what counts in the end is that we have a fair and balanced result that is fit for a digital Europe: the freedoms and rights enjoyed by internet users today will be enhanced, our creators will be better remunerated for their work, and the internet economy will have clearer rules for operating and thriving.’
The agreed text for the copyright directive must now be formally confirmed by the parliament and the council. Once confirmed, member states have 24 months to adopt the rules into their national legislation.