This week, you may have seen ‘Article 13’ hitting the headlines - but what does this actually mean?
Article 13 is part of the EU Copyright Directive, which is designed to make tech giants more responsible for paying creatives, musicians and news outlets more fairly for their work.
This week, the European Parliament passed the controversial legislation, tightening copyright laws on the internet.
Here’s everything you need to know about Article 13, including what it is, and what it means for you.
What is Article 13?
Article 13 states that online platforms such as YouTube and Soundcloud are responsible if their users upload copyright-protected videos and music.
That’s unless the service can demonstrate that it made ‘best efforts’ to get permission from the copyright holder and to ensure that the material wasn’t made available.
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Article 13 also includes a ‘link tax,’ which requires companies such as Google and Facebook to hold licences for linking to publishers.
It also requires internet companies such as Reddit to filter and remove any copyright-infringing content from their platforms.
These rules will apply to services that have been available in the EU for more than three years, or have an annual turnover of more than €10 million (£8.8 million).
What has the response been to Article 13?
The move has been slammed by tech companies, who say they will have to build expensive content filters and stop linking to publications.
Reddit, Wikipedia and PornHub were among those who protested against the reforms last week, calling on users to lobby their representatives in the European Parliament to vote against them.
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On Sunday, 200 European academics wrote a joint statement condemning the reform.
A major concern is that the new laws could prevent freedom of speech and expression online, and lead to censorship on the internet.
Julia Reda, a German MEP and vocal opponent of the move, described the decision as a "dark day for internet freedom," warning that "algorithms cannot distinguish between actual copyright infringements and the perfectly legal re-use of content for purposes such as parody”.
And on Tuesday, Google said that the EU's copyright reforms would produce legal uncertainty and hurt Europe's creative and digital economies.
However, record labels, artists and media companies argue that the reforms are needed to update copyright protections for the internet age, and to ensure they're fairly paid for content.
The International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP) has welcomed the legislation, claiming that it will help to narrow the financial "value gap" between what creators and platforms make online.
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"Four years of titanic tussling later, our work to solve the 'value gap' now begins a new stage after this vote, namely, to ensure that those who make the music make a fair return," said ICMP director general John Phelan.
Alexandru Giboi, secretary general of the European Alliance of News Agencies, added that it would be a "win-win solution for both the trustworthy, quality media and the public”.
"Creators of content have a much better chance of obtaining a fair remuneration for their work, and European citizens have also a much better chance of accessing quality content online," he said.
How will Article 13 affect you?
It’ll be a while before Article 13 takes effect, as EU state leaders will need to sanction the changes before individual countries start rolling out changes.
However, once rolled out, it could have several effects on you.
The change means that content you upload - whether it’s videos, photos or simply comments - could be deleted without your consent, should services believe they violate copyright .
Thankfully, memes and GIFs will still be allowed, thanks to recent tweaks to the law.
