EU Regulators Give Vote Of Confidence For Journalism
Press publishers have welcomed an agreement reached in trilogue as part of the EU copyright reform after the European creative sector united to call on legislators to adopt a strong Publisher’s Right.
As well as lobbying for a strong Publisher’s Right for UK publishers, the News Media Association is seeking clarity from the UK Government over how the Copyright Directive will be implemented into domestic law as the Brexit process continues.
The Government has been supportive of the Publisher’s Right. Speaking in a debate this week following the publication of the Cairncross Review, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright voiced his support for the measure.
Asked by Paul Farrelly MP whether it was “about time” Google and Facebook were “held better to account over copyright,” Mr Wright responded: “On the hon. Gentleman’s last point, he will know that the Government supported the progress of the EU directive on copyright.
“We believe it appropriate that those who create content are properly rewarded for what they do. As he knows, this is a complex area, but we are keen to see further measures to ensure that content creators are properly rewarded.”
Yesterday, co-legislators in Europe endorsed a right which aims at improving press publishers’ bargaining position and protects them against the unauthorised digital reproduction and distribution of their press publications, NME said.
The agreed text must now be formally confirmed by the European Parliament and the Council at the Plenary session in early April. Once confirmed and published in the Official Journal of the EU, Member States will have 24 months to transpose the new rules into national legislation.
Reproducing more than “individual words or very short extracts” of press publications will require a licence. The act of hyperlinking itself is not covered by the Publisher’s Right, and it does not extend to the reporting of “mere facts.”
It remains to be seen how the courts will interpret “very short extracts,” however the text emphasises that the effectiveness of the right must not be undermined.
A coalition of thousands of publishers across Europe represented by the European Magazine Media Association, European Newspaper Publishers’ Association, European Publishers Council and the NMA’s sister organisation NME welcomed the agreement.
A spokesman said: “We now call on the European Parliament to endorse the text, as soon as possible, as it did last September, in order to allow a fair value exchange between those who produce and those who distribute for their own commercial gain, for the cycle to continue profitably and fairly.”
“Quality journalism is at the heart of our democracies and if we want a future for professional journalism in the European Union, we must take action to support the press and to redress an unbalanced ecosystem.”
In a statement earlier this week, trade associations representing the creative sector, including publishers, musicians, authors and film producers, urged European legislators to reach an agreement and implement the Directive.