European Union negotiators are expected to meet for the last time on Monday, January 21, to reach a compromise agreement on the proposed EU Copyright Directive. The Directive includes Article 11, which would create a Publishers’ Right in the European Union, giving European news publishers the right to independently protect their content online. In advance of the January 21 negotiations, the Alliance sent out letters to the European Commission and the Council Presidency, as well as the European Parliament’s lead negotiator, to counter some of the claims and requests made by the tech community and to express support for the European Parliament’s version of Article 11. The Parliament’s version would create a clear and fair standard for the publishers and tech companies to follow, while the Council’s original position would undermine the Right considerably. The Alliance also recently published a rebuttal of Google’s misleading arguments Google is promoting as part of its “Together for Copyright” campaign. If the negotiators reach a compromise agreement, the Council and the Parliament are expected to vote on the measure by April, ahead of the European elections in May.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
