German Music Council welcomes EU decision
The European Parliament has voted by a majority in favor of the EU directive on copyright in the digital single market. 348 MEPs voted in favor, 274 against and 38 abstained. The German Music Council is delighted.
The vote was preceded by several years of negotiations. The aim of the new directive is to curb the illegal use of creative works and ensure that their authors are remunerated. The provisions of Article 13 in particular are controversial. This is intended to oblige platforms to check whether the uploading of the respective content infringes copyright. The new EU directive will only be finalized once the European Council has given its approval - but this is considered a formality. The vote by the EU member states may take place on April 9.
According to Christian Höppner, Secretary General of the German Music Council, it is now a matter of "striving for a truly free Internet". In this respect, there is no difference with the critics of the reform. The market power of the internet giants remains unbroken, but the new directive forces them to fulfill their responsibility towards authors to a greater extent, Höppner continued. Fair remuneration for creators is a prerequisite for freedom and diversity on the internet.
Picture credits: Rainer Sturm / pixelio.de
