The proposed Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market: a missed opportunity?

Do news aggregators impact traffic generation towards online news sites? Will platforms like Instagram and TripAdvisor automatically filter user content? Is an EU news publishers’ right really a good idea? As the negotiations for the long-awaited European Directive on copyright in the digital single market are reaching their endpoint, the final chapter of the saga will take place at the European Parliament on September 12. In its current form, the proposal’s aim is to modernise copyright rules in order to address the “value gap”. However, it ends up being harmful to the way we communicate, create and build on the Internet. From memes to code and from content remix to distribution of news snippets, the effects of the new Directive will be significant on all aspects of Internet uses. HIIG fellow Alexandra Giannopoulou explains the consequences.