News Group Accuses Google of False Claims About EU Proposed Copyright Provision
Google is "using scare tactics" to lobby against the "publisher's right" being discussed in the proposed EU copyright directive, the News Media Alliance said Friday. Article 11 would give news publishers a new right to seek remuneration when their content…
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is used by sharing platforms and news aggregators (see 1809120001). Google's "Together for Copyright" campaign says the language proposed by the European Parliament, one of the versions under consideration in "trialogue" talks between the European Commission, Parliament and Council, "may cause services like YouTube and Google Search to limit the variety of content they feature" and could leave them no choice but to "block existing and newly uploaded videos" in the EU with unknown or disputed copyright information to avoid liability. The alliance slammed Google for launching a coordinated effort against the provision so it could continue to use news content for free. Under the parliamentary version, Google wouldn't have to publish or pay for content, nor would it have to seek licenses from publishers, the alliance said: It would give news publishers more options when deciding how to make content available online. "Unlike Google's recommendation to let publishers waive their right to protect their content online, the Parliament's version ... would create certainty and remove the guess work" for publishers and companies that want to use new content online for commercial purposes by setting a new standard, the alliance said. The next trialogue meeting is Jan. 21, a diplomatic official said. Google didn't comment.