On Friday, January 18, the Council of the European Union canceled what was supposed to be the final negotiation meeting with the European Parliament and the European Commission to find a compromise agreement on the EU’s Copyright Directive. Article 11 of the Directive would create a Publishers’ Right that would, for the first time, give news publishers in the European Union the right to protect their original online content against unauthorized uses. The cancellation of the meeting came after the Member States were unable to agree on a new negotiation mandate for the Council, on an issue related to Article 13, which concerns online services such as YouTube. The Alliance continues to support Parliament’s version of the Publishers’ Right, which would provide a fair and clear standard that protects snippets — the Council must find an internal compromise to get closer to that standard. The trilogue negotiations are expected to be rescheduled as soon as the Council reaches a compromise on its position. In the meantime, the Alliance will continue to work for the inclusion and swift adoption of a strong version of Article 11.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
