Introduction
Copyright is an important concept that protects people's creative works. In the modern world where so much can be found so easily accessible online and with so little preventing it from being obtained and used, the law must come forward to protect people and their unique creative works from misuse.
The EU regulations on copyright have been evolving through the years, and the introduction of the current law occurred in 1993. With the changes that have taken place since that time along with all the lessons learned by the authority, new legislation was inevitable.
The new law has received significant thought and discussion over the last few years, and this is all coming to a head after recent negotiations and talks that have occurred. With these discussions coming along, it will only be a matter of time before we see the full extent of the changes.
General Changes to Expect
The two primary sides which will be anticipating the changes are the tech giants on the one hand and producers of content on the other. From the discussions, we are now aware that digital platforms will be required to provide greater care concerning what can be found therein and get rid of anything in breach of the law.
Beyond this, failure to enforce the law and prevent breaches will result in original publishers being able to charge sites which contain their work or works which include elements of their own beyond a certain limit; this prevention of plagiarism will protect works and their authors by providing pathways to seek justice.
There have most certainly been concerns raised over the changes and how they may be overly restrictive and prevent harmless uses from occurring for every small use of an image or element of text. However, this was clarified, through a report that memes and gifs would be perfectly fine to create and share using the materials of artists and publishers so long as the reason for their production has no commercial purposes.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.