The EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, adopted in 2019, aims to modernize copyright laws in the digital age. Some key provisions include:
Protections Afforded to Property Owners:
1. **Article 17 (formerly Article 13):** Platforms are responsible for ensuring that unauthorized copyrighted material is not available on their sites. They need to implement measures such as content filtering to prevent copyright infringement.
2. **Article 15 (formerly Article 11):** Introduces a "link tax" requiring platforms to pay for displaying snippets of news articles.
Protections Afforded to Users:
1. **Article 5:** Permits the use of copyrighted material for quotation, criticism, review, caricature, parody, and pastiche.
2. **Article 6:** Allows the digital use of works for the purpose of illustration for teaching.
Whether the Directive balances the interests of owners and users appropriately is a subject of debate. Critics argue that the stringent measures, especially in Article 17, may lead to overblocking and limit freedom of expression. Proponents believe it addresses the challenges of online copyright infringement effectively. The debate highlights the complexity of balancing the rights of copyright owners with the need to ensure reasonable access and expression for users in the digital environment.