EU agrees on provisional copyright law

By Ata Ufuk Seker</p> <p>BRUSSELS (AA) – The European Union reached a provisional deal Wednesday on copyright law that introduces changes to existing EU copyright rules as part of creating a true EU digital single market, according to a top official.</p> <p>&quot;Agreement reached on #copyright! Europeans will finally have modern copyright rules fit for digital age with real benefits for everyone: guaranteed rights for users, fair remuneration for creators, clarity of rules for platforms,&quot; European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip said on Twitter.</p> <p>In a series of tweets, Ansip said the new copyright rules will allow internet users to have more possibilities to use and access copyrighted material with full legal certainty.</p> <p>&quot;Freedom of expression is guaranteed, and users will have the power to swiftly contest any unjustified removal of their content by platforms,&quot; he said.</p> <p>&quot;And whoever said we were banning #memes was trying to fool you,&quot; he joked.</p> <p>With the new law, internet platforms like Google will have to pay fees to the content producers to be able to publish news stories in its search results.</p> <p>Internet platforms like YouTube will have to remove content violating the copyright directive and pay more to the content providers.</p> <p>Digital platforms like Google, Facebook and Twitter will take measures to prevent users from uploading publications protected by the copyright directive.</p> <p>The tentative law still needs to be officially approved by the European Parliament and EU Council.</p> <p>*Sibel Morrow from Ankara contributed to this story