The European Parliament has today voted to adopt the EU Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive with 348 in favour and 274 against.
IAF is delighted to see that the European Parliament has voted to protect authors by voting yes to the Copyright Directive on 26 March 2019. This is a momentous move toward ensuring that copyright supports and protects authors’ interests in the digital age, through proper remuneration and transparency regarding the use of their creation.
The authors’ campaign for these vital changes has seen opposition from large online platforms, that have seriously misrepresented the goals of the directive in their own interests. These platforms, of course, have been the primary beneficiaries of the value gap between created content and the revenue it generates online. We are happy that, through this campaign, the voices of all kinds of authors and their representatives have been heard despite this opposition.
With this vote we see a step towards a future where authors are properly remunerated for their contribution to culture. This has been a long, hard fought campaign for fairness in the creative industries and we would like to especially congratulate the efforts of our colleagues in Europe who have fought so hard for their members on this issue. We hope that this will send a message to the world to better protect authors online.