European Parliament backs copyright changes - "a severe blow to open and free internet"

Controversial new copyright laws have been approved by members of the European Parliament. The legislation had been changed since July when the first version of the copyright directive was voted down. Critics say it remains problematic. Many musicians and creators claim the reforms are necessary to fairly compensate artists. But opponents fear that the plans could destroy user-generated content, memes and parodies.

Julia Reda, Pirate Party MEP warned that the proposal would result in platforms imposing upload filters that would catch “perfectly legal content like parodies and memes”, as well as imposing a pointless EU “link tax”. “Today’s decision is a severe blow to the free and open internet,” she said. “By endorsing new legal and technical limits on what we can post and share online, the European Parliament is putting corporate profits over freedom of speech and abandoning long-standing principles that made the internet what it is today”, TechCrunch reported.