Some time ago, during a decisive week, we urged you to contact your MEPs to express your disagreement with Articles 11 and 13 of the new copyright directive. Back then, MEPs rejected the legislation by 318 votes against, 278 in favor, and 31 abstentions. It was an important battle, no doubt, but the war continues and another crucial confrontation is coming: the plenary session of the European Parliament on September 12. For this reason, the group 'Save Your Internet' (from the coalition 'Copyright for Creativity') is proposing a calendar of actions against Articles 11 and 13.
The calendar will distribute themes from today, September 4, until September 11, the day before the plenary vote. You can keep up with the 'calls to action' on their website and follow the news there. Articles 11 and 13 are nefarious and, among other things, limit access to information and impose censorship through content filtering. (You can read more about it here and here.) The Save Your Internet platform sets out a series of arguments that we should all be spreading over the coming days.
Save Your Internet
Article 13 is bad for the Internet as a whole: more than 70 Internet pioneers and experts have gathered in support of Tim Berners-Lee to send a public letter to the European Parliament on June 12, 2018, urging them to vote for the removal of Article 13 for the sake of the future of the Internet, because it would "require Internet platforms to include automated infrastructure for monitoring and censoring their networks".
Article 13 is bad for the fundamental rights of EU citizens: more than 50 NGOs representing human rights and freedom of expression sent a public letter to the European Parliament on October 16, 2017, asking for the removal of Article 13, because it would "violate the freedom of expression enshrined in (...) the Charter of Fundamental Rights" and "would cause so much legal uncertainty that online services will have no choice but to monitor, filter, and block the communications of EU citizens".
Article 13 threatens legal certainty in the EU: intellectuals from 25 leading research centers on Intellectual Property in Europe have published, on June 29, 2018, a statement titled: "The copyright directive: misinformation and independent research". This follows a public letter from April 26, 2018, which points out that there is a scientific consensus that Article 13 "threatens the benefits of user participation under the E-Commerce Directive (2000/31/EC)".
Article 13 will be bad for the European economy: innovative online publishers have expressed their concern about Article 13, as they believe that "these rules are bad news for publishers that rely on an open and competitive Internet to extract information, create content, and spread stories to readers". Allied for Startups, an organization representing European entrepreneurs, explains that "the suggested filtering technology will increase the costs of launching a startup in Europe and drive away talent".
Calendar of Themes
For everyone to understand what is at stake and to encourage you to contact your MEPs, Save Your Internet proposes a calendar of discussions, in which each day will explain how the new legislation affects different groups on the web. Today, Tuesday 4 September, is dedicated to digital NGOs. On Wednesday 5, the focus will be on free software programmers. On Thursday 6, academics will explain how the legislation will hinder their work by preventing them from freely referencing others' studies. On Friday 7, educators will protest the possibility of not being able to use protected content in their teaching. Content creators will take the stage on Friday 8. Finally, on Saturday 9, internet users will speak out, on Sunday 10, startups, and to conclude, on Monday 11 there will be an open forum for everyone to make themselves heard.
So now you know. If you live in Europe, it is important that you make yourself heard. Don't leave it for tomorrow, don't leave it for later. Head over to Save Your Internet and contact your MEPs right now. The platform makes this a matter of seconds, so you have no excuses. This is no joke; if the legislation is passed as it stands, the Internet as you know it could disappear.
