EP vote on copyright directive: some ups and downs

Following months of debates and controversial discussions, the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) adopted today its position on a Proposal for a Directive on copyright in the Digital single market. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) applaud the positive outcome of the vote regarding the transparency triangle but warn against dangerous provisions that are directly affecting journalists' authors' rights.

UPDATED 02.07.18

Following months of debates and controversial discussions, the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) adopted on 20th June its position on a Proposal for a Directive on copyright in the Digital single market. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) applaud the positive outcome of the vote regarding the transparency triangle but warn against dangerous provisions that are directly affecting journalists' authors' rights. 

The IFJ and EFJ join the voices of European authors' organisations in welcoming the backing by an overwhelming majority of eurodeputies of the transparency triangle forcing publishers and broadcasters to provide regular reporting on the exploitation that is made of journalistic and other creators' works, thus reinforcing the contractual position of authors in Europe. However, the federations regret that the parliament's position provides no real possibility for journalists to receive any share from the exploitation of the so-called "neighboring right" for press publishers. 

This new right allows publishers to authorise or prohibit the use of their publication or part of them. IFJ and EFJ have long demanded that an equal share of the benefits deriving from this right should go to the journalists who actually produce the works, and should be managed by collecting societies. While the new text acknowledges the right for journalists to receive a share of the revenues, a new recital (CA 45 on recital 35) deprives journalists of any benefits at all from such a neighbouring right and opens the way to further imposition of "buy-out" contracts. 

"While we strongly welcome the reinforcement of the transparency obligations we are astonished to see that members of parliament could adopt provisions that purely open the way to more threats against journalists' authors' rights. Journalists deserve to be treated fairly. What was decided today in the European parliament will only encourage buy-out contracts in our sector," said the federations. 


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