PRESS RELEASE

BRUSSELS, 14 September 2016

News Media Europe welcomes the European Commission’s plans on copyright

News Media Europe welcomed today’s copyright proposal by the European Commission. It supports the European Commission’s attempts for the introduction of neighbouring rights for news publishers, thereby giving them rights similar to for instance film, music and software producers.

Fernando de Yarza, President of News Media Europe, said: “Content may be free to access, it is not free to create. With the Commission’s proposals introducing neighbouring rights for news publishers, it gives European publishers the ability to monetise the investment we make in high quality journalism by seeking compensation from online platforms that turn a profit by caching our content”.

The piece is heavily criticised by the lobby of the internet platforms, claiming that the proposed ancillary copyright will affect users’ freedom to link and share content. “Nonsense”, Sarah Davis, Legal Director at the Guardian, reacts. “Neighbouring rights will not affect the way that users can share content among themselves on social media”.

Wout van Wijk, Executive Director of NME, said: “We look forward to working with the European Parliament, the Members States and other stakeholders towards the adoption of a copyright framework that allows for a fair compensation of publishers and journalists for their work”.

About News Media Europe:

News Media Europe is the newly established trade association representing European publishers worth over 12 billion euros and more than 2,100 titles both on printing and digital platforms. NME’s national members include Belgium (Flanders), Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom. It is the first association of publishers to fully embrace today’s digital revolution – which ultimately represents the future of the press sector.

For further information please contact:

Wout van Wijk, Executive Director, wout.vanwijk@newsmediaeurope.eu.

Francesco Vinci, Policy Advisor, francesco.vinci@newsmediaeurope.eu.

newsmediaeurope.eu

Tw: @NewsmediaEU