Online copyright reviewed

BRUSSELS: The European Commission proposed copyright refor ms this week aimed at making it easier for artists and news publishers to be paid for work distributed on the internet, but came under attack for curbing information online.

The measures are part of an overhaul of EU copyright rules, which date back to 2001 and are no longer appropriate to the internet era, according to the EU’s executive.

Websites would have to ensure artists are identified properly in uploaded works through, for example, technology such as YouTube’s Content ID system.

Media companies would be able to demand payment for links to their news stories. This was welcomed by artist groups and publishing houses as a victory in their fight for control and a share of profits when their works appear on aggregation sites such as YouTube and Google News.

“Creators’ freedom of expression can only exist if there is a freedom to create and to be remunerated fairly,” said Christophe Depreter of GESAC (Groupement Européen des Sociétés d’Auteurs et Compositeurs), representing 34 authors’ societies in Europe.

The plans also drew a barrage of criticism, with digital rights groups and industry associations criticising what has been dubbed a “link tax” for websites that republish news stories. Joe McNamee of European Digital Rights called the plans “poison for Europeans’ free speech”,while Ruth Coustick-Deal of OpenMedia said they would “dramatically” curtail the right to share and access content.

European consumer organisation BEUC said measures aimed at identifying commercial music or video clips would “punish millions of consumers”. – dpa