July 29, 2016 · Blogs

Copyfails bonus track: Copyright levies

The EU is reforming its copyright rules. We want to introduce you to the main failures of the current copyright system, with suggestions on how to fix them. You can find all the Copyfails here. This article is an additional one – a “bonus track” – to the series presenting Copyfails. How has it failed? […]

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September 14, 2016 · Blogs

Press Release: New copyright directive fails at every level

The European Commission has proposed a Copyright Directive that could not conceivably be worse. The text that was launched today, on 14 September, includes a proposal to potentially filter all uploads to the Internet in Europe. The draft text would destroy users’ rights and legal certainty for European hosting companies. The new Directive’s proposal for […]

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December 13, 2017 · Blogs | Information democracy | Freedom of expression online

Copyright Directive may lead newspapers to become their own censors

Copyright discussions continue in the European institutions. On one hand, Axel Voss, the German conservative (EPP/CDU) Parliamentarian in charge of the dossier in the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) is on some sort of a stand-by while the German government forms. On the other hand, the EU Council, composed of the relevant ministers […]

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February 13, 2013 · Blogs

Copyright: challenges of the digital era

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Urheberrecht im digitalen Zeitalter | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.3_Urheberrecht_im_digitalen_Zeitalter?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130224] EDRi has freshly launched a booklet that overviews the challenges that copyright is facing in the digital environment. For the past twelve years, the European Union has discussed how to support, develop and protect creation in the digital environment. Two months ago, […]

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May 6, 2009

EP passes performers' copyright term extension directive in first reading

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EP verabschiedet die Verlängerung der Urheberrechtsfrist in der ersten Lesung | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1389] Although largely opposed by some EU Member States in the Council, criticized by the consumers’ organizations and strongly opposed by 4 out of the 7 main political groups (ALDE, GREENS/EFA, NGL, IND/ DEM) in the European […]

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March 13, 2017 · Blogs

Civil society urges EU institutions to stop the “censorship machine” in the copyright proposal

EDRi has signed a joint open letter together with 27 other civil society organisations expressing concerns about European Commission’s copyright proposal. The proposal requires internet platforms to use automated upload filtering technologies. This obligation would impact negatively on free speech and democracy by building a system where citizens will face internet platforms blocking the upload of […]

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June 27, 2018 · Blogs | Information democracy | Freedom of expression online | Platform regulation

Moving Parliament’s copyright discussions into the public domain

With just eleven months to go before the 2019 European elections, European citizens’ reactions to certain aspects of the Copyright Directive mean that there is more interest than ever in what decisions are being made by the European Parliament, as well as how these decisions are made.

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September 5, 2017 · Blogs

Six states raise concerns about legality of Copyright Directive

According to a new leak, a number of EU Member States share our serious concerns about the proposal for mass surveillance and censorship of uploads to the internet in Europe, included in the European Commission’s proposal for a new copyright Directive. Those Member States seem unwilling to build a censorship machine forcing EU countries to […]

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May 21, 2014 · Blogs

Finnish Parliament argued over the copyright initiative

On 13 May, the Education and Culture Committee of the Finnish Parliament discussed the citizens’ initiative on an update to the copyright legislation. The main goal of the initiative “Common Sense in Copyright” is to correct the exaggerated interpretations of the current copyright laws, especially regarding network monitoring and compensation. This includes reforming the judicial […]

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October 26, 2017 · Blogs | Information democracy | Freedom of expression online | Platform regulation

Leak: Three EU countries join forces for restrictions & copyright chaos

Leaked documents concerning the Copyright Directive show that France, Spain and Portugal have joined forces in the Council of the European Union to attack the cornerstones of internet freedom in Europe. The documents show that the three countries propose elevating fighting copyright violations to a special status – above combating terrorism, child abuse and serious […]

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October 21, 2009

Copyright in the digital environment

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Copyright in der digitalen Umgebung | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1556] During the 1st European Innovation Summit that was held on 12 – 16 October 2009 at the European Parliament in Brussels, a workshop on the future of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in Europe included a panel to debate the subject of […]

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August 23, 2016 · Blogs

Copyright reform: Unlocking copyright for users?

On 8 September 2016, only a few days before the European Commission will announce its plans for a copyright reform, Communia and EDRi will be organising an event to discuss some of they key issues, namely the failures of the current EU copyright law, and the situation of exceptions and limitations. The event “Copyright Reform: Unlocking […]

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