https://musically.com/2018/09/12/article-13-approved-by-european-parliament-by-438-votes-to-226/Article 13 approved by European Parliament by 438 votes to 226
September 12, 2018
Tags: Article 13 europe safe harbour
MEPs have voted to pass the much-discussed Article 13 of the European Copyright Directive. Of the 751 politicians voting on the directive today in Strasbourg, 438 voted in favour, 226 against and 39 abstained.
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Sylvie Guillaume
✔@sylvieguillaume
Soulagement après le vote sur la directive #droitdauteur. L'Europe de la diversité culturelle renforcée, une presse indépendante et la liberté d'expression préservées après le vote du rapport @AxelVossMdEP. Les négociations vont pouvoir enfin débuter avec le Conseil.
9:02 PM - Sep 12, 2018
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This section of the proposed legislation would make internet platforms liable for copyrighted content uploaded by their users:
“Article 13 creates an obligation on information society service providers storing and giving access to large amounts of works and other subject-matter uploaded by their users to take appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure the functioning of agreements concluded with rightholders and to prevent the availability on their services of content identified by rightholders in cooperation with the service providers”
This would remove the ‘safe harbours’ that have been a long-term bugbear for music rightsholders, who see them as responsible for the ‘value gap’ between the music royalties paid by platforms like YouTube, and those that do not benefit from safe harbours, like Spotify and Apple Music.
Critics of Article 13 argue that it would damage key principles of free expression online by forcing platforms to filter anything that might be copyrighted content, while also damaging the chances of small internet startups to compete with giants like Google/YouTube, who can afford to spend tens of millions of dollars building tools like the latter’s ContentID to comply with the legislation.
The news is already being celebrated by music rightsholders and their representative bodies, but will come as a blow to the technology companies and activists who had been campaigning against the proposal.
Independent body Impala was one of the first to hail the news, describing it as a “great result for creators”. Boss Helen Smith had published an opinion piece earlier this week defending the proposed legislation. “Nobody in our community is suggesting ‘tearing down the internet.’ What we are asking lawmakers to do is to make sure that it works for everyone,” she wrote.
IMPALA@IMPALAMusic
MEP @AxelVossMdEP Proposal wins the vote, great result for creators #EuropeforCreators
8:59 PM - Sep 12, 2018
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Paul Pacifico, boss of UK independent body AIM, hailed the vote as “a great day for music and culture in Europe” in a tweet shortly after the vote. He also published an opinion piece this week, criticising the lobbying tactics of companies and organisations who had opposed Article 13.
Paul Pacifico
✔@allstarspaul
A great day for culture and music in #europe as the #copyrightdirective is adopted by @Europarl_EN including #article13 - thank you #MEPs from all parties for your energetic and highly engaged approach to this very sensitive and important legislation.
9:06 PM - Sep 12, 2018
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Google provided this statement to Music Ally following the vote. “People want access to quality news and creative content online,” said a spokesperson. “We’ve always said that more innovation and collaboration are the best way to achieve a sustainable future for the European news and creative sectors, and we’re committed to continued close partnership with these industries.”
[Also passed today was Article 11, which focuses more on the news side of things.)
MEP Julia Reda, who had been one of the prominent critics of the proposals, summarised the fears in a tweet posted after the vote was carried.
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Julia Reda
✔@Senficon
Article 13 vote: The European Parliament endorses #uploadfilters for all but the smallest sites and apps. Anything you want to publish will need to first be approved by these filters, perfectly legal content like parodies & memes will be caught in the crosshairs #SaveYourInternet
8:57 PM - Sep 12, 2018
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We’ll be covering reactions to the news in the coming hours here, so check back on this story regularly for updates.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/12/17849868/eu-internet-copyright-reform-article-11-13-approvedEU approves controversial internet copyright law, including ‘link tax’ and ‘upload filter’
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Key provisions were amended to reduce potential harm, but critics say vote is ‘catastrophic’
By James Vincent@jjvincent Sep 12, 2018, 7:12am EDTSHARE
The European Parliament has voted on changes to the Copyright Directive, a piece of legislation intended to update copyright for the internet age. In a session this morning, MEPs approved amended versions of the directive’s most controversial provisions: Articles 11 and 13, dubbed by critics as the “link tax” and “upload filter.”
Article 11 is intended to give publishers and newspapers a way to make money when companies like Google link to their stories, while Article 13 requires platforms like YouTube and Facebook to scan uploaded content to stop the unlicensed sharing of copyrighted material. Critics say these two provisions pose a dire threat to the free flow of information online, and will be open to abuse by copyright trolls and censors.
READ MORE: EU COPYRIGHT DIRECTIVE: WHAT’S AT STAKE
Defenders of the Copyright Directive and its controversial clauses say this is an unfair characterization. They point to existing laws and newly-introduced amendments that will block the worst excesses of this legislation (like, for example, a law that excuses parodies and memes from copyright claims). They say that the campaign against the directive has been funded by US tech giants eager to retain their control over the web’s platforms.
In remarks following the vote in Parliament this morning, MEP Axel Voss, who has led the charge on introducing Articles 11 and 13 thanked his fellow politicians “for the job we have done together.” “This is a good sign for the creative industries in Europe,” said Voss.
Opposing MEPs like Julia Reda of the Pirate Party described the outcome as “catastrophic.”
It’s important to note that this is far from the end of the story for the Copyright Directive and its impact on the web. The legislation approved today still faces a final vote in the European Parliament in January (where it’s possible, though very unlikely, it will be rejected). After that, individual EU member states will still get to choose how to put the directive in law. In other words, each country will be able to interpret the directive as they see fit.
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