Day March 27, 2019

The New Copyright Directive Is a Lost Opportunity for Europe – And Shows Lack of Respect for User Rights

[Communia Association] The Directive is the most important European regulation of the digital sphere in the last several years. It will define the shape of copyright in Europe for years to come — and have spillover effects for regulation around the globe. We believe that the approved directive will not meet the goal of providing a modern framework that balances the interests of rightsholder and users, protects human rights and enables creativity and innovation to flourish. Instead, it is a biased regulation that supports one business sector, at the cost of European citizens.

EU COPYRIGHT REFORM SHOWS NEED FOR GLOBAL REFORM

[Teresa Hackett] ... a closer look at European copyright legislation, including the Directive adopted by the European Parliament on 26 March 2019, demonstrates that both blocs clearly recognize the inadequacy of the current international framework to address barriers created by national copyrights for cross-border activities by educational and cultural heritage institutions. And they have addressed the problem through the adoption of pan-European legislation. In other words, European copyright reforms demonstrate the need for global copyright reform.