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European Commission Gives Final Seal of Approval To Copyright Law Overhaul (variety.com)
The European Commission, the European Union's executive body, has approved a long-gestating major reform to copyright law, which had already been passed by the European Parliament last month. From a report: The overhaul contains two controversial provisions that will make online platforms liable for illegal uploading of copyright-protected content on their sites, as well as force Google, Facebook and other digital companies to pay publishers for press articles they post online. "With today's agreement, we are making copyright rules fit for the digital age. Europe will now have clear rules that guarantee fair remuneration for creators, strong rights for users and responsibility for platforms," said European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. According to the French newspaper Le Monde, six countries -- Italy, Finland, Sweden, Luxembourg, Poland and the Netherlands -- voted again the reform.
I dunno. We researched this when implemented a year ago and decided the best way to handle was just disavow entire countries we don't want to do business with. I believe redirecting that traffic to a VPN provider would be in some way acknowledging support or service to them and then make us fall under the compliance directives.
If I wanted to be under EU rules, I'd go back and live there (was stationed there for several years on business as Schengen expat) and pay 50% taxes again. No thanks
Funny thing IIRC those EU dictators have posited that even blocking EU IP addresses makes a site fall under compliance. There was discussion that EU citizens using a VPN to circumvent blocks would still be considered protected by EU rules. Ridiculous. Then there was the notion that when an EU citizen is physically in the USA using Internet resources that those USA-only companies were now forced to be compliant with EU rules. Absurd
Thank you but no, EU don't own the Internet. Certainly don't own my USA Internet
Google -- and any other online site -- cannot possibly know the upload contains "illegal" content until the upload is completed. So much babbling here about "Upload Filters" is even more perplexing, as though filter software will need to be installed on your computer before uploads are even allowed!!!!
The EU politicians are idiots, of course, and YouTube has long since had copyright detection where your video will be blocked from viewing if YT's algorithms think your video has protected content.
As far as news stories, Google is doing the news sites a favour, driving traffic to them. Talk about biting your gift horse.
I am not saying that Google is a shining company, as the recent fiasco with James Damore demonstrates. But come on. Google provides so many free services to everyone, why bitch? Maps is a fine example, and I use that app daily to navigate through the rush hours in Berlin. I would actually pay for that service. And yes, yes, I know they are storing my movements -- for me, they have my movements stored all the way back to 2009. I actually find it useful to see precisely when and where I've travelled around the world. It's a privacy issue for sure, but then you don't have to use Google, or you can simply create a burner account if it matters that much to you.
The EU seems hell-bent on destroying the Internet. At least for Europe. All Google and others have to do is simply block Europe (and I'll have my VPN at the ready!!!). How would Europe get along without Google? Bing? Yahoo? Sure. It would be funny as hell if the big Internet companies boycotted the EU. Funny as hell.
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As a content provider my self (photographer), it's disheartening to see my work pop up on social media in numbers without end and I only get compensation from the tiny Internet real estate that I initially did business with.
What value would you put on a "wow, that's neat" *clicks share button* repost of one of your photos on instafacetwit? And how many of those reposters do you expect to pay it?
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