EU Governments Reach Negotiating Stance On Copyright Reform

European Union member states today reportedly agreed on their negotiating position on the proposed copyright directive, and early reactions are unenthusiastic.

The agreement on updating copyright law must be agreed with the European Parliament, whose Legal Affairs Committee is reportedly set to vote on its position in June. [Update: the EU Council has issued a press release here.]

Although the actual text wasn’t available at our deadline, various reports indicate that its controversial positions on a “neighbouring” or “ancillary” right for press publishers (also known as a “link tax”), and its call for online platforms to monitor content uploaded by their users are still in play.

The final position has “no significant changes to the upload filters and link tax provisions,” MEP Julia Reda, of Germany and the Greens/European Free Alliance Party, noted.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association panned the negotiating position (although they did not yet have the final document). The Council’s position “will hurt European fundamental rights, economy, competitiveness, innovation and creativity,” said CCIA Senior Policy Manager Maud Saquet. She urged the European Parliament to oppose the introduction of upload filters and new rights for press publishers

If adopted, the Council position “would oblige Google, Facebook and other platforms to conclude licensing arrangements with right-holders and creators for any copyright-protected video, article or pictures uploaded on their websites,” said the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).

That hurts consumers by not helping to simplify confusing and outdate copyright rules and failing to give consumers the right to use copyright-protected material to create their own content for private use, it said. The agreement “totally overlooks today’s reality,” said Director General Monique Goyens.