In anticipation of the EU Commission’s copyright reform proposal (and just in time for the confirmation that the Commission’s plans will be everything but forward-looking), our friends at Mozilla have launched a new copyright reform campaign. They are taking this step because “it’s time our laws caught up with our technology.”
The campaign focusses on issues which have traditionally been dear to Mozilla, such as online learning, creative expression and innovation. Therefore, the three main strands where Mozilla wants to see an update of the current EU copyright rules (our summary) are:
- Update EU copyright law for the 21st century The EU’s current copyright laws were passed in 2001, before most of us had smartphones. We need to update and harmonise the rules to create room to tinker, create, share, and learn on the Internet. Education, parody, panorama, remix, and analysis shouldn’t be unlawful.
- Build in openness and flexibility to foster innovation and creativity Copyrighted works are remixed, reimagined, and reused in new and creative ways every day. These elements build on existing ideas in a way that breathes new meaning into old content.
- Don’t break the Internet Some people are calling for licensing fees and restrictions on Internet companies for basic things like creating hyperlinks or uploading content. Others are calling for new laws that would mandate monitoring and filtering online. These changes would establish gatekeepers and barriers to entry online, and would risk undermining the Internet as a platform for economic growth and free expression.
Sign the petition!
All of these issues are ignored by the leaked Commission’s Impact Assessment. This makes Mozilla’s campaign timely and relevant. We fully agree with Mozilla’s efforts to update and fix copyright and urge you to take a look at the Mozilla Campaign and sign the petition.
