Finally it is out: The draft for the new Digital Single Market Directive (DSM directive). The result is even worse than we expected it from the recently leaked preliminary draft document. Whereas the wish list of the press publishers gets ultimately fulfilled in the slightly changed final version, the public interest falls even more behind. Read more

We are pleased to announce Allied for Startups as our newest supporter! The worldwide network of advocacy organizations focuses on improving the policy environment for startups to grow digital entrepreneurship and digital economy at large. They are the voice of startups. That is why, besides many other things, they have opened an office in Brussels last year with Lenard Koschwitz as the new director for European Affairs. As an ancillary copyright for press publishers is a great threat to startups, we could not be happier to have Allied for Startups by our side.

Yesterday we informed you about most of the downsides – there are not really upsides – of the leaked draft for a new EU copyright directive. There is particularly one more thing to be added: The #creatorgate clause. Read more

We have just received the draft proposal of the European Commission for a new copyright directive. It shall complement – i.e. in general not amend – other directives inter alia the InfoSoc directive from 2001. As it had to be expected from the Impact Assessment that was leaked last week, the draft reads like an answer to the wish list of the publishing industry. Here comes a first assessment.

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Yesterday, Statewatch leaked a draft version of the Impact Assessment (IA) report for the upcoming copyright reform. Concerning the area of publisher’s rights it leaves a devastating impression. The authors of the IA suggest introducing a new ancillary/neighbouring right for news publishers with a broad scope. And they make it sound like this would be an obvious and particularly good choice.

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Eco, the German Association of Internet Industry, looks back on three disastrous years with an ancillary copyright for press publishers: Not only do they strongly reject this particular ancillary copyright, but also do they urgently warn against a European attempt. Read more

Last Wednesday, the European Commission's consultation "on the role of publishers in the copyright value chain and on the 'panorama exception'" came to an end. And so has the #FixCopyright campaign by Copyright for Creativity (C4C). An incredible number of 2819 people have used the answering tool. All the answers have already been transfered to the Commission. Read more

Today, June 15 2016, the European Commission’s “Public consultation on the role of publishers in the copyright value chain and on the 'panorama exception' (http://ancillarycopyright.eu/news/2016-03-23/commission-launches-public-consultation) ends. It introduces a new euphemism into the debate on publisher’s rights: The “neighbouring right for publishers”. Sounds harmless enough, does it not? Yet, this new angle is far from harmless. On the contrary, this “neighbouring right” is in fact more dangerous than an ancillary copyright for press publishers (AC) alone could ever be. It’s an AC on steroids.Getting rid of the infamous term “ancillary copyright for press publishers” in favour of a more generic “neighbouring right for publishers” is a crafty trick that seeks to distance this new consultation from the fundamentally failed German and Spanish approaches to copyright for press publishers. The re-phrasing aims to make us believe that a “neighbouring right” will not have massive detrimental effects on Internet communication, searching and linking and other key aspects of the digital world. Read more

There are two new websites (links below) regarding the creation of a new ancillary or neighbouring right for (press) publishers in the EU answering all the relevant questions digital entrepreneurs, startups and publishers might have. The aim is to inform these groups what a negativ impact such a right would have on them and their business. Also provided are two open letters you can sign to sperak out against these rights. The sites are available in English, French, Polish, German, Italian and Spanish. Check them out and spread the word!

The NGO La Quadrature du Net that promotes digital rights and freedoms of citizens has positioned itself clearly against a new "publisher's right" the EU Commission is suggesting in its still ongoing consultation on the role of publishers in the copyright value chain and on the 'panorama exception'. Read more

Last Thursday, OpenMedia's Ruth Coustick-Deal met with the MEPs Julia Reda, Marietje Schaake, Vicky Ford, Josef Weidenholzer and Daniel Dalton to deliver all 3737 responses people from all over the EU submitted using the Save the Link survey on the European Commission's public consultation on online platforms. Read more

The EU Commission's public consultation on the role of publishers in the copyright value chain and on the 'panorama exception' is still running. That gives you the chance to speak up for a free Internet and to prevent the Commisson from proposing an ancillary copyright that will hurt everybody.  Read more

In less than one week, the annual re:publica will open its gates again. Among the approximately 850 speakers will be Caroline de Cock. She is a Coordinator at Copyright for Creativity (C4C) will kick off the new #FixCopyright campaign! Read more

On 24th March, the European Commission launched its public consultation on the role of publishers in the copyright value chain and on the 'panorama exception'. Looking at the wording, it provides great insight into the Commission’s plans for the upcoming copyright reform. Read more

As a partner of a great coalition we have signed an open letter to members of the European Commission responsible for the digital single market. We demand "an ambitious reform that is fit for purpose in the digital environment and that upholds and strengthens fundamental principles such as the limitation of intermediaries’ liability, rights of citizens to freedom of communication and access to knowledge." Read more

After countless hours of work, the new brochure "The Ancillary Copyright for Press Publishers – Background and Essential Questions" by founder of IGEL Dr. Till Kreutzer is now available. For the moment, it is only in German, but an English version will follow soon. On 32 pages it answers all important questions regarding an ancillary copyright for press publishers. Read more

Today, the European Commission has launched its public consultation on the role of publishers in the copyright value chain and on the 'panorama exception'. Everybody is welcomed to take the online survey. Although it is only available in English, French and German you can reply in any EU language. Read more

A cross-party coalition formed by over 80 MEPs has written an Open Letter to President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, to European Commissioner for Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip as well as to European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Günther Oettinger. They are "deeply concerned about the Commission's Communication 'Towards a modern, more European copyright framework'". Read more

Today, the Commission’s published its action plan on copyright in the Digital Age “Towards a modern, more European copyright framework” (PDF). Compared to the leaked draft paper the final version contains quite a few but significant changes. Especially with regard to the ancillary copyright.

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In late September, the EU Commission has initiated its public consultation on online platforms. To encourage everybody to speak his/her mind, there now is (another) online tool that facilitates the process of submitting your opinion to the Commission. Read more

Several Open Letters have reached the EU Commissioners while they conduct their public consultation on the role of online platforms. The most recent originates from a group of various European publishers who speak out against an ancillary copyright for press publishers. Read more

EDiMA, the European trade association representing online platforms, has recently published a document that summarizes the research available on ancillary rights in news. The results are alarming. Read more

As part of a large coalition we have co-signed two open letters addressed to the European Commission as well as the European Parliament informing them about our concerns regarding the Commission's approach on copyright affairs. Read more

David Meyer from POLITICO reports that the EU Commission does not plan on creating new legislation giving press publishers the right to claim licensing fees from news aggregators. Read more

Civil society and digital rights groups are sounding the alarm about a public consultation run by the European Commission on the role of online platforms, the result of which could be new copyright rules that would effectively shut down people’s right to freely link online. The 75,000-strong Save The Link network has created an Internet Voice Tool to send feedback to the Commission as part of their consultation. Read more

The Blog IPKat leaked a draft communication on copyright reform from the European Commission "towards a modern, more European copyright framework". Alongside some positive approaches on how to reform the European copyright law, it contains the threat of changing the web as we know it today by directly attacking the hyperlink. Read more

Martin Schulz (PES), President of the European Parliament and a trained bookseller, gave a Keynote at the Publishers' Summit this Monday in Berlin. It soon became clear that he disagrees with the majority of the Parliament in the matter of an ancillary copyright for press publishers. Read more

Yesterday, the copyright arbitration board of the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) released its ruling on the "tariff news publishers". The outcome: The tariff is inadequate, thus unlawful. The ancillary copyright for press publishers remains pointless. Read more

Axel Springer and Samsung announced to release a news aggregating app and to pay the accruing ancillary copyright fees. Read more