Copyright reform tiff

– Europe’s music, broadcasting and publishing industries have hit back at internet critics of an EU overhaul of copyright rules, saying the claims that the reforms might lead to the demise of the internet amount to misinformation and scaremongering.

Both sides have ramped up lobbying this week ahead of a crucial vote on July 5 that will determine the European Parliament’s position on the reforms, which aim to make tech giants like Google and Facebook share revenues with publishing.

Lawmakers are expected to take their cue from a key committee that last week voted in favour of tougher copyright rules, but the campaigning could swing the vote.

The parliament’s stance will in the coming months need to be reconciled with that adopted by EU countries and the European Commission’s proposal announced two years ago, which seeks to take into account the growing role of online platforms.

The debate has coalesced around two points. Firstly, article 11 or the so-called neighbouring right for press publishers, which could force Google, Microsoft and others to pay publishers for displaying news snippets.

Secondly, article 13, about mandatory upload filtering that would require online platforms such as YouTube, GitHub, and Instagram to install filters to prevent users from uploading copyrighted materials or seek licences to display content.

“There is a cynical campaign from tech companies flooding the inboxes of lawmakers with scaremongering that the copyright directive would be the end of the internet,” said lobbying group Impala, which represents independent music labels and trade associations.

European broadcasters are similarly scathing of criticism from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, internet inventor Tim Berners-Lee, net neutrality expert Tim Wu, internet pioneer Vint Cerf.

“This has nothing to do with censorship and everything to do with creating a sustainable internet,” said Gregoire Polad, of the Association of Commercial Television in Europe.

Publishers are tired of online companies free-riding on their content and want their own legal standing to tackle the issue, said Angela Mills Wade of the European Publishers Council. “This proposal is impossible to comply with. It will damage the way we communicate online,” she said. –