Highlights - JURI - Plenary vote on copyright - Committee on Legal Affairs

On 12 September, Parliament voted on the proposal for a directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market (Rapporteur: Axel Voss). On 20 June, the JURI Committee adopted a report and decided to enter into interinstitutional negotiations on that basis. This decision was challenged by Parliament at the July part-session and rejected by 318 votes against (278 in favour, 31 abstentions).

Parliament will consequently amend the Commission's proposal which is part of a legislative package for the modernisation of the EU copyright rules that was presented by the Commission on 14 September 2016. The two main controversial issues on which discussions have focussed are the creation of a new right for press publishers for the digital use of their publications and the obligation made to certain online platforms to take measures preventing copyright-infringing works to be available on their services.