Tentative Agreement Reached on the EU's Copyright Framework

The Musicians’ Union (MU) welcomes the news that European decision-makers have reached a tentative agreement to bring the EU’s copyright framework into the 21st century.

The Musicians’ Union (MU) welcomes the news that European decision-makers have reached a tentative agreement to bring the EU’s copyright framework into the 21st century.

Earlier this week the UK Council of Music Makers’, of which the MU is a member, set out an urgent call for negotiators to proceed with the Copyright Directive.

The directive is not over the line yet however, and we urge MEPs to support it.

What this could mean for musicians

MU General Secretary Horace Trubridge responded to the news:

“This directive offers genuine opportunities for performers to benefit from a greater level of transparency with regard to the money that their recorded performances generate.

“Also, the directive affords the possibility of secondary payments to performers where the original payments were disproportionate to the success of the recording.

“It is vital that MEP’s support the directive if we are going to build a rights regime that’s fit for purpose in the digital age.”

What’s in the draft directive

The draft directive addresses a variety of issues, focusing on – the adaptation of copyright exceptions and limitations to the digital and cross-border environment, the improvement of licensing practices to ensure wider access to content and the achievement of a well-functioning marketplace for copyright.

As regards online content sharing platforms, the directive clarifies the legal framework within which they operate. Such platforms will in principle have to obtain a licence for copyright protected works uploaded by users unless a number of conditions provided for in the directive are met.

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