Meanwhile in the European Parliament... New Copyright Rules approved yesterday.
A new version of the copyright reform was adopted by the European Parliament on Wednesday 12 September after two years of process held by the European commission. For literature, music, and any other creative fields, it is a relief and a small victory against giant internet firms and digital platforms.
Yesterday in the European Parliament, 438 lawmakers voted in favour of the new copyright rules while 226 were against, with 39 abstentions. Before the copyright laws are finally amended next year, further negotiations are still to take place between the Commission and the 28 EU member states.
The copyright law aims to improve online protection for creative content, and to introduce a 'link tax' which will allow medias and press agencies to get a payment for the reuse of their contents online.
In France, authors' rights groups such as the SACEM (Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique - Society of authors, composers and music editors), the xxx, and the French Ministry of Culture (led by publisher Françoise Nyssen) have been actively campaigning for these new copyright rules and yesterday's vote is considered a hugely positive step forwards. There has also been plenty of lobbying against them, particularly on the part of online content providers such as the GAFA giants (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple).
For those interested in these debates, the Book Office has prepared some reading for you:
The Huffington Post France: https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2018/09/12/le-droit-dauteur-pourra-etre-reforme-et-cest-un-coup-dur-pour-les-gafa_a_23524891/?utm_hp_ref=fr-homepage
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