The EU Copyright Law Reform – Moving Forward to Digitization

The last essential pillar of the EU-legal framework on copyright in the digital age was laid in 2001 when the Copyright Directive 2001/29/EC1 was adopted. Since 2001 digital technology and the internet have dramatically reshaped the ways in which content is created, distributed, and accessed. New opportunities have materialized for those who create and produce content (e.g. a film, a novel, a song), for new and existing distribution platforms and digital service providers (»DSPs«), for activities such as research, information and documentation and for citizens who now expect to be able to access the full variety of content regardless of geographical borders, at any time on any device.
The European Commission and the European Parliament have made a relevant step forward by working on a copyright reform which aims at materializing the digital opportunities in a fair and legally secure way.