EU Copyright Directive

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The European Union (EU) Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society, commonly known as the EU Copyright Directive or short EUCD, is the EU's implementation of the 1996 WIPO Copyright Treaty.

This highly controversial Directive was, at that time, the most heavily lobbied measure[link] to pass the European Parliament. In its final form, it includes only very narrow exceptions to anti-circumvention measures and exclusive rights. As a result, it is generally regarded as a victory for copyright-owning interests (publishing, film, music and major software companies) over copyright users' interests (who, during the lobbying process, were primarily represented by librarians and not by consumer organizations).

Many important details are not specified in the Directive, and as a result, EU member states have significant freedom in certain aspects of directive implementation. The resulting lack of harmonisation in the member states' copyright regimes has led the [chairman] of the European Commission's Legal Advisory Board Taskforce on Intellectual Property to state that the directive is "unimportant, and possibly invalid"[link].

Due to escalating public awareness of the importance of copyright legislation, the process of implementation has not been entirely predictable.

Implementation

Member states which have implemented the Directive to date:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland (see 2005 amendment to the Finnish Copyright Act and Penal Code)
• France (see DADVSI)
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• The Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• The United Kingdom

Member states which have not (yet) implemented the Directive to date:

• Czech Republic
• Spain

See also

• Copyright law of the European Union
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act, FIPR, EDRi, FSFE, EFF, Copyleft.
• Directive on harmonising the term of copyright protection (1993)
• List of European Union directives
• Peer-to-peer exchange systems

References