From The Verge: The European Parliament has given final approval to the Copyright Directive, a controversial package of legislation designed to update copyright law in Europe for the internet age.
Members of parliament voted 348 in favor of the law and 274 against. A last-minute proposal to remove the law’s most controversial clause — Article 13 or the ‘upload filter’ — was narrowly rejected by just five votes. The directive will now be passed on to EU member states, who will have two years to translate it into national law.
The Copyright Directive has been in the works for more than two years, and has been the subject of fierce lobbying from tech giants, copyright holders, and digital rights activists.
Julia Reda, an MEP for the German Pirate Party who led much opposition to the law, said it was a “dark day for internet freedom.” Andrus Ansip, vice president of the European Commission and a key advocate for the directive, said it was a “big step ahead” that would unify Europe’s digital market while protecting “online creativity.”
Although the details of legislation will have to be decided by individual EU member states, it will likely have a huge impact on how the internet works in Europe and further afield.
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