European Parliament moves ahead with divisive copyright reform law, summer vote planned

Legislation that would mean massive changes to the financial and copyright responsibilities shouldered by YouTube and other user-generated content platforms is moving to a summer vote in Europe. A committee in the European Parliament has voted in favor of moving ahead with a potential new law called the EU Copyright Directive. Continue Reading

YouTube may face liability for copyright infringement under Austrian court

YouTube may be facing a new legal challenge in Europe. The Vienna Commercial Court issued a preliminary decision that YouTube is responsible for preventing its users from uploading infringing content. The decision is not final, but it is maintained in the court’s final ruling, the result could have rippling consequences for the video platform. Continue Reading

Streaming services ask EU regulators to rein in “gatekeeper” behavior by Apple, Amazon

Several tech companies have pitched the European Commission to request limits on behavior from Apple and Amazon that they claim are anti-competitive. Spotify CEO and Co-founder Daniel Ek and Deezer CEO Hans-Holger Albrecht both signed the letter to EU regulators asking for “a level playing field” that prevents some tech giants from “regularly abusing their advantaged position.” Continue Reading

European lawmakers still hearing conflicting demands over safe harbor in Copyright Directive

European leaders are hearing continued pressure to create stronger solutions in securing the safe harbor clause. The latest move centered on a number of groups that lobby on digital rights sending a letter to Parliament calling for the clause to be eliminated from the draft of the European Copyright Directive. Continue Reading

Nordic countries report heavy music streaming use, favoring YouTube and Spotify

Europe’s Nordic region continues to be a standard-setter for digital music adoption. The Polaris Nordic Digital Music Survey 2017 surveyed residents in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark about their listening habits. It found that 80% of all inhabitants between the ages of 12 and 65 used at least one streaming service in the past year. Continue Reading

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EU passes cross-border access rule for online services, including music streaming

The European Union has passed new rules aimed at advancing plans for a unified digital market in the bloc. The recent ruling allows online service subscribers from one nation to access those platforms when they travel to other countries in the EU. Streaming music falls under the umbrella of this “portability” rule. Continue Reading

U.S. music industry calls for support of EU law to address “value gap”

The U.S. music industry is petitioning its European counterparts to make copyright reforms that would address royalty payments made by online music distribution services. Several music industry organizations signed an open letter about the value gap in services that do a great deal of user traffic but make comparatively small royalty payments. It asks U.S. government representatives in Europe to support Article 13 of the Copyright Directive proposed by the European Commission. Continue Reading