by Google
The amendment to the Copyright Act, which includes Article 13, passed the European Parliament in September with a vote of 438 to 226 and is likely to be fully approved in January. The amendment to the Act could particularly harm YouTubers who create educational, "how to" or reaction videos. But also ordinary internet users who use memes, gifs or screenshots from the web. The change to the Copyright Act would dramatically change the internet as we know it. Before the amendment goes through the final approval process, there is still an opportunity to express your disagreement and fight against the amendment to the Act.
ARTICLE 13
With the introduction of the GDPR, one would think that nothing worse could come. Believe it or not, there is an even bigger threat from the EU that is coming to the fore and is being intensively addressed. This is a new EU proposal regarding copyright reform. The problematic one is Article 13, which is a provision in the proposed EU Copyright Directive. The provision requires that all content uploaded to the internet be monitored and potentially removed if it is found to be similar to existing copyrighted content.
The main idea is to protect the original content of creators, which in itself sounds like a great idea. The problem comes in the way it is implemented. It would create a kind of censorship on the internet and only filtered content would reach people. This filtering would prevent content from being available at all times, effectively creating a censorship machine that allows big companies to control what we see and do online. Digital rights and freedom of expression online could be at risk.
IMPACTS OF THE AMENDMENT
Viewers living in Europe will lose access to billions of videos from around the world, including content that is already on YouTube, but also all content on the internet in general. This includes educational videos in the form of various online English lessons, workout tricks and routines, parodies, collaborations of performers, but also ordinary content like memes. However, the most serious possible consequences of the introduction of Article 13 could be:
1. THE END OF SHARED CONTENT
The introduction of Article 13 could mean that the era of communication via gifs and memes is coming to an end. In real life, it could look like Gogo would have to cancel his #HASHTAG show, Rytmus would no longer appear in any video clips with Ektor, Evžen and Selassie would never film a parody again, Lucypug and Patra Bene would no longer release any tutorials, and Duklock would lose his entire reaction channel. And we're only talking about YouTube. The legislation could also affect everything from text to coding. Developers would potentially have to stop sharing code online. In addition, the amendment to the law will also disadvantage smaller businesses that cannot afford to create 100% original content for their own promotion.
2. YOU MAY BE SUBJECT TO MASS SURVEILLANCE
Since internet platforms will have to track user behavior, we can assume that they will have to resort to the use of tracking technologies. This means that every step on a particular website will be closely monitored.
3. YOU MAY END UP IN LEGAL PROBLEMS
Imagine that you are sitting at your computer, you have created a great meme and you want to share it on social networks. After uploading it, the file is soon flagged and deleted. You receive a private message informing you that your account may be suspended due to copyright infringement and if you continue to infringe copyright, you may end up in court. All because the edited image was originally copyrighted by someone else. Which you cannot find out without spending hours searching for the original author of the image. Let's be honest. Is all this necessary for the sake of one innocent meme?
In general, Article 13 would cut off Europe from the latest and greatest moments created and shared on the internet, and we would no longer be able to send a funny gif to each other instead of a reply.
CURRENT STATUS AS OF 4.12.2019
Article 13 is still on the table and at risk of being approved, so it is important for everyone to continue spreading the #saveyourinternet message. To date, YouTube creators have created and shared over 6,000 videos about Article 13, generating 200+ million views. A petition has also been created Change.org, the success of which is evidence of the growing awareness of Article 13. Even the German Minister of Justice Katharina Barley agreed to publicly accept the petition. To date, the petition has received over 4,500,000 signatures and if it reaches 5 million signatures, we can talk about the largest petition in history. If you also disagree with Article 13, say so by spreading awareness on social media with #saveyourinternet and signing the Change.org petition before it's too late.
The final vote between the European Commission and the European Parliament is expected to take place between March 25 and April 18. If Article 13 is approved in the final vote, the next step will be its implementation into the legislation of the EU Member States and the implementation of the directive in practice.
HOW TO FIGHT AGAINST THE INTRODUCTION OF THE AMENDMENT?
Not all MEPs support the EP's direction towards Article 13, many others are not even aware of what is happening because they are not present in the key committees. Therefore, all is not lost and every vote can affect the future of the Internet. Reaching out to national MEPs by email, phone or social media can help get their attention and encourage them to reject Article 13.
The most accessible way for the public to prevent the directive from being adopted is to sign the petition for a free internet.
YouTube is also calling on all creators and viewers to express their views on Article 13 and join the #SaveYourInternetfree internet campaign. The campaign is managed and funded by Copyright for Creativity and supported by organisations that care about keeping the internet a free and creative place. The website saveyourinternet.eu publishes the most important facts about Article 13, where you can also find out how many MPs from your country voted for the amendment of the law and how many against. You can also join the campaign Say No to Online Censorship or #SaveTheMeme.
If the amendment to the Copyright Act is approved, the internet will no longer look like we know it. Therefore, if you disagree with Article 13, express your opinion loudly.
Sources:
www.youtube.com/saveyourinternet
www.youtube-creators.googleblog.com
