MEPs Corner

The fundamental battle will be fought about Articles 11 and 13. The amendments now submitted show that there´s been no significant change as far as the number of potential supporters of the initial text is concerned so it is again hard to be sure about the result. Every single Member could make a difference. I hope, however, that the ultimate goal of the reform, that is to update copyright for the 21^st century and to achieve a fair balance between the interests of authors and consumers without unnecessarily restricting the use of the Internet, can still be achieved. Regarding Article 11 and the rights of publishers, the so-called presumptions of the authors’ representation is acceptable for me. I am afraid that the introduction of Article 11 in the current wording could worsen the position of small publishers who are in particular in need of a support of a competition law against the abuse of an almost monopoly position on the part of Google. It is precisely the presumption of authors’ representation that would enable publishers to simplify licensing or copyright enforcement.