Tuesday, September 18, 2018

New European Copyright Laws Could Change The Web Worldwide

European Parliament

Wired: Europe's New Copyright Law Could Change the Web Worldwide

The European Parliament passed sweeping copyright legislation Wednesday that, much like its privacy regulations, could have impact far beyond Europe.

Critics argue that the most controversial part of the proposal will effectively force all but the smallest website operators to adopt "upload filters" similar to those used by YouTube, and apply them to all types of content, to stop users from uploading copyrighted works. That could pose problems, given how expensive such filters could be to develop, and the high likelihood of false positives.

The legislation will also require site owners to pay for displaying snippets of content. Critics have called this a "link tax," though links and search engine listings are exempted from the requirement.

Read more ....

Update: EU approves controversial Copyright Directive, including internet ‘link tax’ and ‘upload filter’ (The Verge)

WNU Editor: I have already cut down my use of European news websites. This proposal will now kill it. I will now use European news links if they are only hosted by third parties like Yahoo news. But if I do find a juicy news story from Europe, I will then discuss it, say that it is being reported by France 24 (for example), and then tell the reader to Google it.

The Golden Age of the web is coming to an end. What will replace it will be new laws and regulations that will control what content we can see on the web.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a huge mistake. Not only will it stifle emerging companies (the big ones will get around it), but what the EU has not thought about is that it effectively leads to a silencing of European thoughts!! Why risk forwarding or sharing European news, thoughts and other copyrighted material, if you risk your business or private property over it! ?

This will lead top a -silencing- of European thoughts, ideas and creative output. And it will increase the number of law suits and lawyers. Shouldn't it be illegal that the one group profiting from this (lawyers) also get to make the laws ffs

Caecus said...

@Anon: that's exactly what the EU wants. They want to control the internet and social media, because they are a vehicle for ideologies they want to supress - opposition to mass immigration, nationalism, etc..

Roger Smith said...

FM radio in the 70's and perhaps before in the US was quite the experience. Then NBC, ABC, and other moneyed entities began to buy the stations up, changing dj's and formats and adding advertising. I haven't owned a radio for decades.
Another memory of better times.

Anonymous said...

the computer will rule the world and you soon suckers