The text of Article 13 and the EU Copyright Directive has just been finalised

In the evening of February 13, negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council concluded the trilogue negotiations with a final text for the new EU Copyright Directive.

For two years we’ve debated different drafts and versions of the controversial Articles 11 and 13. Now, there is no more ambiguity: This law will fundamentally change the […]

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Council ready to continue negotiations on the worst version of Article 13 yet

Tonight, the EU’s national governments adopted as their common position the deal struck by France and Germany on the controversial EU Copyright Directive that was leaked earlier this week.

While Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Luxembourg maintained their opposition to the text and were newly joined by Malta and Slovakia, Germany’s support of the “compromise” […]

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Article 13 is back on – and it got worse, not better

Let’s recall: On January 18, negotiations about the new EU copyright law came to an abrupt halt after member state governments failed to settle on a common position on Article 13, which would force internet platforms to censor their users’ posts using upload filters.

Without such an agreement, the final “trilogue” meeting, at which the law […]

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Article 13 is almost finished – and it will change the internet as we know it

Negotiations about the EU copyright reform law have resumed: After missing the original Christmas deadline, negotiators for the European Parliament and Council are now aiming to finalise the text on January 21, 2019.

The negotiators have reached agreement on the core of Article 13, which will change the internet as we know it: They want […]

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Article 13 is a mess: Now even big rightholders disavow it

The second-to-last round of trilogue negotiations to hammer out the final wording of the EU Copyright Directive takes place tonight. On the agenda again: The controversial Article 13, which would make online platforms liable for copyright infringements by their users and force them to install upload filters. Here are the updated 4-column documents: Articles, Recitals.

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YouTube and the music industry are both wrong on Article 13

This article was first published as an op-ed in the Financial Times.

YouTube and the music industry are battling it out over a key section of the new EU copyright directive as it heads into final negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council. At issue is whether the streaming site and other internet platforms […]

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4 Column documents for December 13 Trilogue

As for today’s trialogue, you can find the 4 column documents for the articles here, and for the recitals here, and the draft agenda here.

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EU copyright reform: Our fight was not in vain

For years, my colleagues in the European Parliament and I worked on the EU copyright reform – on improving the Commission’s original proposal, but above all, on preventing the worst. More than 5,000,000 signatures made the petition against Article 13 the biggest in EU history. Many activists invested their time and passion into the fight. […]

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How your MEPs voted on internet freedoms – and why your minister of agriculture will have the final say on April 15

After the European Parliament adopted the Copyright Directive last week without even considering changes, one final step remains: Its approval by the Council of Ministers.

Last chance to stop upload filters

The Council vote is now scheduled for Monday, April 15. That day’s meeting happens to be the Agriculture and Fisheries Council – so it […]

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Tomorrow’s copyright vote explained

There is unprecedented public opposition against Article 13 and other aspects of the EU Copyright Directive: This weekend, up to 200.000 people took to the streets across Europe. Meanwhile, the petition against it has reached the incredible milestone of 5 million signatures. Will the European Parliament listen?

(Scrollable panorama photo from the Berlin protest)

Tuesday, […]

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