Europe has approved a new copyright protection procedure that many saw as a threat to the Internet itself
The European Parliament has adopted a new order that puts the protection of rights on the Internet even more stringently. Under the new European directive, all major online resources (video hosting, social services) must now even more carefully monitor what users post on their pages and profiles. And, if they are reposting content that is not theirs, the platforms themselves must enter into a paid agreement with the actual author of the content. An online platform that does not sufficiently protect copyright on the Internet may be found to be an infringer of someone else's intellectual property. Norms and documents establish the paid nature of relations with the owners of copyright materials, setting them payments for the use of content. Another article of the European directive talks about the prohibition of posting, for example, on YouTube or Facebook, any material that they or other services do not own. Also, the new rules make online sites obliged to independently verify the safety of someone else's intellectual property and remove all illegal materials. Some media outlets have informally called the new rules "a ban on memes." This is due to the fear that from now on, users will not be able to just post posters and photos of their favorite celebrities, make a gif or a meme from any movie. But not everything is as harsh as it turned out. Representatives of the European Parliament explained that the directive does not apply to such pictures, gifs and memes. In addition, European copyright protection on the Internet does not impose an obligation to pay the author in case of posting parodies of his work or its short citation. Also, strict guidelines do not apply to encyclopedic resources, including Wikipedia.
In addition to the fact that the European document toughens the protection of rights on the Internet, its individual provisions partially expand the rights of some participants. Thus, media publishers can receive monetary rewards if materials from subordinate publications are used by other sites. At the same time, the directive allows online resources to post appropriate links to articles of other media without restrictions. The bill, as expected, caused a mixed reaction and opposition from those directly affected by the new order. First of all, the directive is resisted by large network companies, for which the payment for copyright property can result in expenses with a large number of zeros. They were also supported by human rights activists, who saw in the new rules a violation of democratic rights and freedom of speech. The approval of the European Parliament has not yet given the rules a valid status. The directive must now be agreed by the European Council. After that, the document will become legally binding, and the EU member states will have to supplement local laws with relevant provisions within 2 years after that. The Topic of Article: Europe has approved a new copyright protection procedure that many saw as a threat to the Internet itself. |
