16 January 2019

Europe for Creators launches new tools to counter Google’s unprecedented lobbying

Brussels, 16 January – EUROPE FOR CREATORS is launching a new website and a newsletter, as part of a renewed effort to counter Google’s massive disinformation campaign around Article 13 of the European Copyright Directive.

The new tools are meant to fight back with facts. The website, www.article13.org (also available in Italian, German, Czech, French, Polish, Croatian and more to come) and the newsletter, INSIGHT13, take a no-nonsense approach to the issue and go back to basics: What does the Directive actually say and how does the process work?

Google has used its financial power and its YouTube platform to organise one of the largest lobbying campaigns the European Union has seen in recent years, with scant regard for truth. YouTube executives have claimed that Article 13 would cripple the platform in Europe, with 35 million accounts potentially at risk of being taken down. The platform and its allies have sought to manipulate children and young users to channel false claims about Article 13. It’s extremely worrying that a media platform in such a dominant position would use its service as a weapon to influence public opinion and advocate purely private and commercial interests through misinformation, fear mongering and fake news.

With a clear timeline, an FAQ and a paragraph-by-paragraph explanation of the European Parliament’s version of Article 13, the website provides accurate and easy-to-understand insights into the debate, while unveiling the benefits of Article 13 for creators and ordinary users. It is time that YouTube takes steps to ensure transparency, accountability and responsibility on its platform once and for all. And it will never do so without clear and fair rules in place.

Article 13 will facilitate the sharing of content in a fairer way and stop arbitrary removal of content and other unfair trading practices which platforms such as YouTube routinely resort to.

The newsletter will report on the latest developments in the process and the battle over public opinion. Brief analytical pieces will link to the best articles, videos, Tweets and memes on the subject.

Subscribe to the newsletter and visit us at www.article13.org or follow the debate on Twitter @EUForCreators with #EuropeForCreators.

View the press release in pdf

About EUROPE FOR CREATORS

EUROPE FOR CREATORS gathers citizens, creators and cultural organisations responsible for more than 12 million jobs in Europe. We represent European authors, composers, musicians, singers, painters, sculptors, directors, producers, journalists, writers, scientists and academics, committed to fight in favour of the Copyright Directive.

Contact details

Véronique Desbrosses – GESAC General Manager

secretariatgeneral@gesac.org – +32 (0) 2 511 44 54

Policies

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence brings about many new opportunities for our lives, including in the field of culture and creativity, but its applications also raise a number of ethical and legal questions due to their wide-spread uncontrolled and unchecked usage.

Policies

Music Streaming

Music streaming has unquestionably become the predominant means of enjoying music, replacing traditional physical media and expanded far beyond the live sector by providing user-friendly, high quality, and affordable access to the largest possible repertoire anytime, anywhere, online, or offline.

Songs and compositions are at the heart of this thriving market, which counts 524 million users on subscription-based music services globally, reaches more than 2 billion users including the streaming on UGC platforms, and offers more than 70 million tracks from approximately 8 million artists.

Yet, the authors and composers cannot benefit adequately from this success, and the debate over unfairness of this market is gaining traction across Europe and around the world.

There is a need to look more closely at how songwriters and composers are connected to this thriving economy and what can be done to improve their currently neglected situation.

Read below to find out more about the Music Streaming market.

Policies

Buy-out contracts: a dangerous threat to European creators

European music creators (composers, lyricists etc.) are being forced to forsake thousands of euros in future earnings by draconian ‘work made for hire’ (WMH) and buy-out contracts.

Online audiovisual services and broadcasters that are mainly US-based are forcing music creators to accept such contracts, which enforce a one-time payment in exchange for their rights.

Given the worldwide popularity of shows and series on platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Disney etc., and their replay value, the audiovisual market represents an important revenue stream for creators. Soundtracks alone are part and parcel of series and often attract a similar amount of popularity, massively boosting sales, streams and the worldwide fanbase of their authors.

Read below to find out how video on demand (VOD) platforms and broadcasters are circumventing EU law and what can be done about it.

Policies

Authors’ societies & the collective management model

Authors’ societies are hugely beneficial to both authors (creators), users (platforms and services), and the broader public.

Beyond benefiting these different groups, authors’ societies also support the broader cultural ecosystem by funding and promoting cultural and creative initiatives.

Below are five key benefits to authors’ societies and the collective management model.

Policies

The Copyright Directive

In April 2019, the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market was formally adopted, a change that will positively transform authors’ rights throughout the EU. Each member state now has until 7 June 2021 to transpose the Directive into their respective national law.

This reform is an opportunity to address pressing issues for authors in the Digital Single Market and will promote the growth of Europe’s creative and cultural industries (CCIs) – a major driver of Europe’s economy.

One of the biggest achievements of this new piece of legislation was to address the
‘Transfer of Value’ problem, a priority issue for all European creators.

Below are some of the Directive’s key areas that will affect creators and those who profit from their work.