EU agrees on provisional copyright law

By Ata Ufuk Seker

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.

"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," European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip said on Twitter.

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.

"Freedom of expression is guaranteed, and users will have the power to swiftly contest any unjustified removal of their content by platforms," he said.

"And whoever said we were banning #memes was trying to fool you," he joked.

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.

Internet platforms like YouTube will have to remove content violating the copyright directive and pay more to the content providers.

Digital platforms like Google, Facebook and Twitter will take measures to prevent users from uploading publications protected by the copyright directive.

The tentative law still needs to be officially approved by the European Parliament and EU Council.

*Sibel Morrow from Ankara contributed to this story