European Parliament considers controversial copyright reforms as protests continue

Protests will be held across 20 European countries today in opposition to Article 13 in the EU’s Copyright Directive bill, which requires platforms that have been releasing internet content in the EU for over three years to gain permission from creators of copyrighted material like movies and even images before sharing it online.

Proponents say the bill will safeguard the rights of creators. The bill’s onus of content uploaded by users of the technology companies means these firms must bear the cost of building the filter.

By yesterday, 5 million people signed a petition against Article 13. Many are concerned, including world wide web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, that Article 13 will unintentionally hinder free expression. Under this bill, a user may find that their post propagating a march is blocked because it contained a copyrighted poster or song.

If Article 13 passes the vote in the European Parliament next week, the internet in the EU may become less independent as large technology firms dominate with the smaller firms moving to other markets.

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