Update: European Parliament passes Copyright Directive to protect Authors Rights

Luke AlcottAuthors earnings, Copyright law, EU, News

On 12 September 2018 the European Parliament passed a vote on the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. The European Parliament will now take the agreed text for further negotiations with the European Council and European Commission.

An important amendment was also adopted by the European Parliament under Article 13 that would further ensure the measures were applied to copyright protected visual works. The amendment approved by the Parliament is intended to tackle the use of image “framing” as a loophole to use visual works without benefit to the owner of the image.

John Degen, Chair of IAF, said:

“IAF is happy to see that the European Parliament has made a positive step to protect authors with the vote on the Copyright Directive on 12 September 2018. This is a move toward ensuring that copyright supports and protects authors’ interests in the digital age, through proper remuneration and transparency regarding the use of their creation. The authors’ campaign for these changes saw opposition from large online platforms, seriously misrepresenting the goals of the directive. These platforms, of course, have been the primary beneficiaries of the value gap between created content and the revenue it generates online.

With this vote we see a step towards a future where authors are properly remunerated for their contribution to culture. We would like to especially congratulate the efforts of our colleagues in Europe who have fought so hard for their members on this issue. We hope that this will also send a message to the world to better protect authors online.”