The European Parliament on
Tuesday voted to approve a directive setting new copyright rules
for the Internet.
The aim is to strengthen the position of creatives and news
publishers when they negotiate with internet giants that use
their content.
It does this by making internet platforms directly liable for
content uploaded to their site and by automatically giving the
right to news publishers to negotiate deals on behalf of
journalists for news stories used by news aggregators.
The directive has come under fire from some who say it will
affect freedom of expression.
But European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said it was
a "balanced reform" that ends the "current digital wild west".
Carlo Perrone, the president of European Newspaper Publishers
Association ENPA, was delighted.
"It's a great victory for the press in Italy. This is a
historic vote for Europe's soul and culture," Perrone said.
"It will be essential for the future of press publishers and
professional journalism.
"Web users will now be guaranteed a democratic, pluralistic
Internet".
Some uploaded material, such as memes or GIFs, is excluded
from the directive.
Hyperlinks to news articles, accompanied by "individual
words or very short extracts", can be shared freely, while
start-up platforms are subject to less stringent obligations.
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