Wikimedia warns EU copyright reform threatens the ‘vibrant free web’

ronjor · Sep 4, 2018

Natasha Lomas@riptari

“The next wave of proposed rules under consideration by the European Parliament will either permit more innovation and growth, or stifle the vibrant free web that has allowed creativity, innovation, and collaboration to thrive. This is significant because copyright does not only affect books and music, it profoundly shapes how people communicate and create on the internet for years to come.”
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ronjor · Sep 12, 2018

EU approves controversial internet copyright law, including ‘link tax’ and ‘upload filter’

By James Vincent@jjvincent Sep 12, 2018
Key provisions were amended to reduce potential harm, but critics say vote is ‘catastrophic’
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guest · Sep 12, 2018

Creators Supporting Link Taxes And Mandatory Filters Are Handing The Internet Over To The Companies They Hate
September 11, 2018
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...ng-internet-over-to-companies-they-hate.shtml

While there are a few attempts to "improve" Articles 11 and 13, many of those improvements are, unfortunately, very limited in nature, and will still create massive problems for the way the internet works.

Unfortunately, as with the situation earlier this year, many groups claiming to represent content creators are arguing in support of the original proposals, and spreading pure FUD about the attempts to fix them. Author Cory Doctrow has a very thorough debunking of each of their talking points. [...]

The idea that Article 11 and Article 13 will, in any way, help creators, rather than legacy gatekeepers is laughable. The idea that it will somehow harm the internet giants is equally laughable. They can deal with it. What it will do is take upstart competitors out of the equation entirely and will significantly remove negotiating leverage for creators
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Mrkvonic · Sep 12, 2018

It's funny and sad that the Internet is actually getting smaller.

People use a handful of apps on their phones, and this is their entire universe. Silos and bubbles.
Search engines are not as open as they used to be, and finding information is more difficult than it used to be.
(Developed) countries are seeking to limit exposure and access to the Web in the name of all sorts of "noble" causes (think of XYZ nonsense).

I'm glad I was there in the early days, before Idiocracy.

Mrk

xxJackxx · Sep 12, 2018

Can I charge everyone in the EU for reading this post? ©

Mrkvonic · Sep 12, 2018

No, because you dropped a box of tea into the Boston Harbor way back when, and by doing that, you forfeited your future profits.
Mrk

ronjor · Nov 12, 2018

The Potential Unintended Consequences of Article 13

Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube Monday, November 12, 2018
While we support the goals of article 13, the European Parliament’s current proposal will create unintended consequences that will have a profound impact on the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people.
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guest · Nov 16, 2018

EU Council poised to insist on mandatory upload filters
November 14, 2018
https://juliareda.eu/2018/11/eu-council-upload-filters/

The Presidency of the Council, currently held by Austria, has now circulated among the EU member state governments a new proposal for a compromise between the differing drafts currently on the table for the controversial Articles 11 and 13.

Politico Europe has published the documents here. Under this latest proposal, both upload filters and the “link tax” would be here to stay – with some changes for the better, and others for the worse.
Upload filters
Not even the strictest upload filter in the world could possibly hope to catch 100% of unlicensed content. [...] In this latest draft, the Council Presidency sides with YouTube, going back to rather explicitly prescribing upload filters. The Council proposes two alternative options on how to phrase that requirement, but they match in effect: [...]
Link tax
On the “link tax”, the Council is mostly sticking to its position: It wants the requirement to license even short snippets of news articles to last for one year after an article’s publication, rather than five, as the Parliament proposed.
Council fails to clearly exclude hyperlinks – even those that aren’t accompanied by snippets from the article.
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Documents (PDF): https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SPOLITICO-18111319020.pdf

ronjor · Nov 16, 2018

Leaks Show Europe's Attempts to Fix the Copyright Directive Are Failing

By Cory Doctorow November 16, 2018
The EU’s “Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive” is closer than ever to becoming law in 28 European countries, and the deep structural flaws in its most controversial clauses have never been more evident.
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guest · Nov 19, 2018

Google threatens to pull Google News in Europe if EU pushes through 'link tax'
November 19, 2018
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquire...-news-in-europe-if-eu-pushes-through-link-tax

Google is prepared to pull out the big guns in its battle with the European Parliament over plans to introduce a link tax.

"We would not like to see that happen in Europe," Richard Gingras, Google's vice president of news told The Guardian. "Right now what we want to do is work with stakeholders."
The trouble, according to Gingras, is that Google News doesn't directly make any money for Google.

For now, the lobbying efforts continue. Gingras concedes that "it's not desirable to shut down services" (RIP Google Buzz, Wave and Plus), but the option remains on the table if the EU is unmoved by Google's words.
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ronjor · Nov 20, 2018

The Media Industry and the “Make-Google-Pay” Fantasy

by Frederic Filloux
Google is increasingly divided over supporting the news industry, either through direct funding, or with a set of initiatives directly aimed at improving publishers’ bottom line.
At the company headquarters in Mountain View, the lingering question is: should we continue to help an industry that: (a) tends to consider us as another teller for subsidies, (b) has shown little ability to use the full extent of the toolbox we built, (c) has repeatedly turned against us by lobbying Brussels?
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guest · Nov 20, 2018

YouTube now runs pop-ups on videos that warn users of EU copyright proposal
November 20, 2018
https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/20...rticle-13-copyright-european-union-eu-warning

If you watch YouTube videos without a YouTube Premium subscription, you’re familiar with the tiny pop-ups that appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the stream that prompt users to sign up for YouTube’s ad-free service.

It seems that YouTube has replaced that pop-up with a new message that warns users about the European Union’s proposed copyright directive. It also offers an explainer on one particular act known as Article 13.

Many viewers praised the company for its attempt to communicate with users about the copyright directive, which will see a final vote in January 2019.

kudos to youtube for having that small pop up about article 13 on the app, it’s a topic that isn’t as widespread as it really should be
— megan lynne | 10.10.18 (@meganlynnes) November 20, 2018
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guest · Nov 22, 2018

Article 13: If You Want To Force Google to Pay Artists More, Force Google to Pay Artists More
November 21, 2018
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/...ay-artists-more-force-google-pay-artists-more

The European Union is fumbling towards a final draft of the new "Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive," including the controversial "Article 13," which requires all but the smallest online platforms to set up crowdsourced databases of copyrighted works and censor anything a user posts that matches (or partially matches!) the contents of these databases.

This is a system that's ripe for abuse. [...] artists find themselves targeted by fraudsters who remove their work from the platforms they rely on to earn their livings, impersonating them and sending copyright takedowns in their names.
And yet, Article 13 has no penalties for this kind of abuse.
Monopolies laugh at copyright
Even if Big Tech has to pay a little extra for licensing at first, the long-term effect of Article 13 will be to reduce competition in tech, leading to even more concentration and even more market power.
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guest · Dec 11, 2018

Article 13 isn't quite as messy as Brexit, but its still a confused mess
December 11, 2018
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquire...messy-as-brexit-but-its-still-a-confused-mess

The Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) has suggested that the final, final text will be presented in the coming days, so it can be rushed through before Christmas: "At this point, the entire Directive is in danger of going down in flames to salvage an unworkable, absurd, universally-loathed proposal. [...]"

Part of the issue involves a so-called "notice and take down" clause. It suggests that where a copyright violation has been identified, the host has the responsibility to both ensure that the plaintiff complies, but also that they ensure it isn't reposted.

Now the only really effective way of doing that is to use filters. Which the EU says it won't use. By that name at least. So which is it? At the moment, this feels like another EU deal that is in an unworkable disarray. As if we haven't had enough of those lately
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Latest EU Copyright Proposal: Block Everything, Never Make Mistakes, But Don't Use Upload Filters
December 10, 2018
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...r-make-mistakes-dont-use-upload-filters.shtml

[...] a summary has been released on the latest plans for Article 13, which is the provision that will make upload filters mandatory, while (and this is the fun part) insisting that it doesn't make upload filters mandatory.
Then, to make things even more fun, another document on the actual text suggests the way to deal with this is to create a better euphemism for filters.

The latest brief description of the recommendations for Article 13 appear to be an attempt by bureaucrats who have no understanding of the nuances of this issue to appease both the legacy copyright industries and the tech companies. Notably absent: any concern for the public or independent creators.

When you're told that any mistake will lead to liability, you are put in a position of trying to prevent any mistakes. And the only ways to do that are to (1) stop accepting any user-uploaded content or (2) filter the hell out of all of it, and take down anything that even might possibly be considered infringing, meaning tons of perfectly legitimate content will get shut down.

No matter how many times these technocrats say "don't take down non-infringing works", it's totally meaningless if the only way to avoid liability is to take down tons of non-infringing works.
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guest · Jan 16, 2019

EU Copyright Directive to Turn Google into Ghost Town
January 16, 2019
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/google/eu-copyright-directive-to-turn-google-into-ghost-town/

The other controversial article part of the EU Copyright Directive is Article 11, a provision which will force news aggregators to pay the copyright holders a fee for every news item they link to.

Google, one of the most heated critics of the two provisions, is now testing a new search engine results page (SERP) template where the EU Copyright Directive is applied to the listed search results "to understand what the impact of the proposed EU Copyright Directive would be to our users and publisher partners," according to Search Engine Land.
EU Copyright Directive will turn SERPs into a ghost town according to Google
As the SERP screenshots show, Google's search results will look like a deserted town, with no article titles, no images, and no news summaries, or "like pages that have failed to completely load" as Search Engine Land's Greg Sterling very appropriately describes them.
[...] the future looks very bleak for both journalists and EU citizens who want to freely access news content on the Internet.
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guest · Jan 18, 2019

Europe’s controversial ‘link tax’ in doubt after member states rebel
Articles 11 and 13 have been sent back to the drawing board
January 18, 2019
https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/18/18188571/europe-copyright-directive-link-tax-article-11-13

Copyright activists just scored a major victory in the ongoing fight over the European Union’s new copyright rules. An upcoming summit to advance the EU’s copyright directive has been canceled, as member states objected to the incoming rules as too restrictive to online creators.

Whatever rules the European Union adopts will have a profound impact on companies doing business online. In particular, Article 13 could greatly expand the legal risks of hosting user content, putting services like Facebook and YouTube in a difficult position. As Cory Doctorow described it to The Verge, “this is just ContentID on steroids, for everything.”
“Changing the copyright regime without really understanding where the problem is is foolish,” he continued.

Still, today’s vote suggests the ongoing activism against the proposals is having an effect. “Public attention to the copyright reform is having an effect,” wrote Pirate Party representative Julia Reda in a blog post.
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Daveski17 · Jan 18, 2019

It's enough to make any self respecting European country want to leave the EU.

ronjor · Jan 21, 2019

In win for tech giants, EU copyright reforms stalled

Foo Yun Chee January 21, 2019
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU efforts to reform copyright rules hit a roadblock on Monday as a meeting of lawmakers and officials was called off, prompting criticism of Google from publishers after it and other tech giants lobbied against the changes.
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guest · Jan 22, 2019

mood said: ↑

Google threatens to pull Google News in Europe if EU pushes through 'link tax'
November 19, 2018
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquire...-news-in-europe-if-eu-pushes-through-link-tax
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Google Considering Pulling News Service From Europe
January 22, 2019
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-considering-pulling-news-service-from-europe

The European Union’s Copyright Directive will give publishers the right to demand money from the Alphabet Inc. unit, Facebook Inc. and other web platforms when fragments of their articles show up in news search results, or are shared by users. The law was supposed to be finalized this week but was delayed by disagreement among member states.

Google News might quit the continent in response to the directive, said Jennifer Bernal, Google’s public policy manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The internet company has various options, and a decision to pull out would be based on a close reading of the rules and taken reluctantly, she said.
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guest · Feb 7, 2019

Italy Tells Rest Of EU To Drop Articles 11 And 13 From The Copyright Directive
February 6, 2019
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...drop-articles-11-13-copyright-directive.shtml

Italy, which under its previous government had been supporters of Articles 11 and 13 in the EU Copyright Directive, has now made a pretty clear statement that if the country is going to support the latest directive, it needs to protect the users of the web, and the only way to do that is to remove Articles 11 and 13:

"The priority for Italy is the elimination of the link tax and direct or indirect filters on the content uploaded by the users of the platforms, together with an extension of the exceptions to copyright allowing the development of the data economy
[...] The network must be kept free and neutral because it is a fundamental infrastructure for the free expression of citizens as well as for the Italian system and for the European Union itself ".

That's a pretty clear and direct statement. Italy is not looking for yet another round of negotiations on this. It thinks that a link tax and mandatory upload filters are clearly bad for the public. Good for them. Of course, getting other countries to agree with them would help.
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ronjor · Feb 8, 2019

EU countries agree on copyright reforms, deal in sight next week

Foo Yun Chee February 8, 2019
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s effort to rewrite two-decade old copyright rules to take into account online platforms such as Alphabet Inc’s Google moved a step forward on Friday when a majority of member countries agreed on a common position for talks with lawmakers next week.
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ronjor · Feb 13, 2019

EU countries, lawmakers clinch copyright overhaul deal

Foo Yun Chee February 13, 2019
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is set to rewrite its two decades-old copyright rules to ensure a level playing field between its creative industries and tech giants such as Google and Facebook, after striking a deal on the issue on Wednesday
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ronjor · Feb 20, 2019

EU countries back copyright reforms aimed at Google, Facebook

Foo Yun Chee February 20, 2019
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union countries on Wednesday endorsed an overhaul of the bloc’s copyright rules which would force Google and Facebook Inc to pay publishers for news snippets and filter out copyright-protected content on YouTube or Instagram.
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hawki · Feb 20, 2019

"EFF-- The Final Version of the EU's Copyright Directive Is the Worst One Yet

Despite ringing denunciations from small EU tech businesses, giant EU entertainment companies, artists' groups, technical experts, and human rights experts, and the largest body of concerned citizens in EU history, the EU has concluded its "trilogues" on the new Copyright Directive, striking a deal that—amazingly—is worse than any in the Directive's sordid history..."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/02/final-version-eus-copyright-directive-worst-one-yet

guest · Mar 20, 2019

Four Wikipedias to ‘black out’ over EU Copyright Directive
March 20, 2019
https://wikimediafoundation.org/2019/03/20/four-wikipedias-to-black-out-over-eu-copyright-directive/

Volunteer editor communities in four language Wikipedias—German, Czech, Danish, and Slovak—have decided to black out the sites on 21 March in opposition to the current version of the proposed EU Copyright Directive.
Those language editions of Wikipedia will redirect all visitors to a banner about the directive, blocking access to content on Wikipedia for 24 hours. A final vote on the directive is expected on 26 March.

These independent language communities decided to black out in the same way most decisions are made on Wikipedia—through discussion and consensus, something summarized in a statement from the German Wikipedia volunteer community:

“Each of these independent Wikipedia communities has been engaging in public online discussions as to their course of action, and voting on whether and how to protest. They have done this according to their own rules of governance.”
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