Manifesto for an Open, Fair Internet with Fair Pay for Creators

Manifesto for an open and fair internet – without censorship, with remuneration for artists

Copyright law has to be clarified for today’s digital world, but not weakened or abolished. We want a sustainable culture. A free internet is not always free of charge. We have long had the new monopolies of American tech giants, who determine the rules of the game online. The criticism we have is merely of the myths and fighting talk, which are poisoning the current debate: A free internet at no charge, publishers as evil exploiters, authors ripped off by collecting societies, the enforcement of copyright as censorship.

Google and Facebook are already using filter algorithms. They filter not only – as intended – illegal content (e.g. pornographic or terrorist content), but also completely legal content (e.g. photos of naked bodies). They do so arbitrarily and without democratic regulation. The new directive, however, will regulate filters. At the same time, the platforms currently earn their money by making third parties’ content accessible and advertising it, without paying appropriate fees to the creators of this content – photographers, musicians, authors, graphic artists. This is where the new directive on European copyright law comes in: Article 13 regulates how licensing works for platforms. Platforms should pay creatives fair and reasonable remuneration by obtaining licences for the global repertoire. If they have such flat-rate licences from collecting societies, they do not need to filter content.

This is the purpose of Article 13.

Only those commercial platforms have to license whose main purpose is to monetize and curate large quantities of copyrighted content by making it available to the general public (Art. 2.5). Furthermore, Article 9a, which is mostly ignored in the public debate, extends the competences of collecting societies to make it easier for platforms to acquire licences – they do not have to negotiate individual contracts with each right-holder!

A number of other exceptions and regulations create more legal certainty for all parties:

• Users have legal certainty, there are no more written warnings on uploaded content
• Exceptions for quotation, parody, pastiche are harmonized Europe-wide – Memes are safe!
• Messengers (e.g. WhatsApp), online encyclopaedias (e.g. Wikipedia), cloud services (e.g. Dropbox), online marketplaces (e.g. eBay), dating portals (e.g. Tinder) as well as discussion forums are excluded
• “Creative Commons” licenses are explicitly provided for

Other advantages of the reform are:

• Journalists are remunerated through protection of press publications concerning online users (Art. 11)
• Authors are in a better position towards publishers (Art. 14-16)
• Authors and publishers are part of one value chain and share revenues (Art. 12)

We stand for transparent legislation. For many years, European legislators have been discussing the subject with a wide variety of stakeholders and have reached well-founded compromises. We are in favour of a free and fair internet without censorship!

We are in favour of this copyright reform. It is a fair balance between users, platforms and authors!

We support the "Manifesto for an open and fair internet"

1. TRÜPEL Helga (Greens/EFA), Germany
2. ANDRIEU Eric (S&D), France
3. ARENA Maria (S&D), Belgium
4. ARTHIUS Jean (ALDE), France
5. BECKER Heinz K. (EPP), Austria
6. BERÈS Pervenche (S&D), France
7. BERGERON Joëlle (EFDD), France
8. BLANCO LÓPEZ José (S&D), Spain
9. BÖGE Reimer (EPP), Germany
10. BOGOVIČ Franc (EPP), Slovenia
11. BOVÉ José (Greens/EFA), France
12. BROK Elmar (EPP), Germany
13. CADEC Alain (EPP), France
14. CALVET CHAMBON Enrique (ALDE), Spain
15. CASPARY Daniel (EPP), Germany
16. CAVADA Jean-Marie (ALDE), France
17. COLLIN-LANGEN Birgit (EPP), Germany
18. CORNILLET Thierry (ALDE), France
19. COSTA Silvia (S&D), Italy
20. DANTI Nicola (S&D), Italy
21. DANTIN Michel (EPP), France
22. DATI Rachida (EPP), France
23. DE GRANDES PASCUAL Luis (EPP), Spain
24. DELAHAYE Angélique (EPP), France
25. DEPREZ Gérard (ALDE), Belgium
26. DIDIER Geoffroy (EPP), France
27. EHLER Christian (EPP), Germany
28. FARIA Jose Inacio (EPP), Portugal
29. FISAS AYXELA Santiago (EPP), Spain
30. FLORENZ Karl-Heinz (EPP), Germany
31. GAHLER Michael (EPP), Germany
32. GASBARRA Enrico (S&D), Italy
33. GEHROLD Stefan (EPP), Germany
34. GENTILE Elena (S&D), Italy
35. GIESEKE Jens (EPP), Germany
36. GLOANEC MAURIN Karine (S&D), France
37. GONZÁLEZ PONS Esteban (EPP), Spain
38. GRAMMATIKAKIS Giorgos (S&D), Greece
39. GRAPINI Maria (S&D), Romania
40. GRÄSSLE Ingeborg (EPP), Germany
41. GRIESBECK Nathalie (ALDE), France
42. GRIFFIN Theresa (S&D), United Kingdom
43. GROSSETÊTE Françoise (EPP), France
44. GUILLAUME Sylvie (S&D), France
45. HARMS Rebecca (Greens/EFA), Germany
46. HEUBUCH Maria (Greens/EFA), Germany
47. HOHLMEIER Monika (EPP), Germany
48. HONEYBALL Mary (S&D), United Kingdom
49. HORTEFEUX Brice (EPP), France
50. HOWARTH John (S&D), United Kingdom
51. JAHR Peter (EPP), Germany
52. JOULAUD Marc (EPP), France
53. JUVIN Philippe (EPP), France
54. KOCH Dieter-Lebrecht (EPP), Germany
55. KUHN Werner (EPP), Germany
56. KYRKOS Miltiadis (S&D), Greece
57. LAMASSOURE Alain (EPP), France
58. LANGEN Werner (EPP), Germany
59. LAVRILLEUX Jérôme (EPP), France
60. LE HYARIC Patrick (GUE/NGL), France
61. LINS Norbert (EPP), Germany
62. LØKKEGAARD Morten (ALDE), Denmark
63. MALINOV Svetoslav Hristov (EPP), Bulgaria
64. MANSCOUR Louis-Joseph (S&D), France
65. MARINHO E PINTO António (ALDE), Portugal
66. MICHEL Louis (ALDE), Belgium
67. MORGANO Luigi (S&D), Italy
68. MORIN-CHARTIER Elisabeth (EPP), France
69. NIEBLER Angelika (EPP), Germany
70. PEILLON Vincent (S&D), France
71. PICIERNO Giuseppina (S&D), Italy
72. PIEPER Markus (EPP), Germany
73. PONGA Maurice (EPP), France
74. PROUST Franck (EPP), France
75. QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL Godelieve (EPP), Germany
76. REVAULT D'ALLONNES BONNEFOY Christine (S&D), France
77. RIES Frédérique (ALDE), Belgium
78. RIQUET Dominique (ALDE), France
79. ROCHEFORT Robert (ALDE), France
80. ROHDE Jens (ALDE), Denmark
81. ROZIÈRE Virginie (S&D), France
82. SAÏFI Tokia (EPP), France
83. SANDER Anne (EPP), France
84. SANT Alfred (S&D), Malta
85. SCHULZE Sven (EPP), Germany
86. SCHWAB Andreas (EPP), Germany
87. SERNAGIOTTO Remo (ECR), Italy
88. SMOLKOVÁ Monika (S&D), Slovakia
89. SOMMER Renate (EPP), Germany
90. SORU Renato (S&D), Italy
91. TARABELLA Marc (S&D), Belgium
92. THOMAS Isabelle (S&D), France
93. TOIA Patrizia (S&D), Italy
94. VERHEYEN Sabine (EPP), Germany
95. VOSS Axel (EPP), Germany
96. WARD Julie (S&D), United Kingdom
97. WIELAND Rainer (EPP), Germany
98. WINKLER Iuliu (EPP), Romania
99. ZAGORAKIS Theodoros (EPP), Greece
100. ZAMMIT DIMECH Francis (EPP), Malta
101. ZELLER Joachim (EPP), Germany
102. ZORRINHO Carlos (S&D), Portugal

Manifesto for an open and fair internet

• 8BALL MUSIC
• A NEW LABEL
• AAMAMÁ
• ABOUD Razad (writer, poet and translator)
• ABRUNHOSA Pedro
• ACINAS Acinas
• ACT LABEL
• ACT PUBLISHING
• ADAGP (Société des auteurs dans les arts graphiques et plastiques)
• ADOLPH Alexander (screenwriter and director)
• AGRIO
• AGTHE Arend (author, director and producer)
• AHAČEVČIČ Rok (Lumberjack)
• AHRENS Axel (illustrator, adviser at Illustratoren Organisation e.V.)
• AHSENDORF Falko (cameraman)
• AIM (Association of Independent Music)
• AIPA
• AKKA-LAA (Autortiesību un komunicēšanās konsultāciju aģentūra / Latvijas Autoru apvienība)
• AKM (Autoren, Komponisten und Musikverleger)
• ALFARO FERNANDO
• ALLER HOPP
• ÄLMEBERG Roger (writer)
• ALOINA Marc
• ALPARGATA
• ALTEN Jenny (screenwriter and artist)
• AMAEI (Associação de Músicos Artistas e Editoras Independentes)
• AMARO Catarina
• ANDASUN Mat
• ANDERSEN Ida (writer and translator)
• ANDERSSON Åsa (translator)
• ANDERSSON Ingrid (author)
• ANDRAE Sebastian (screenwriter)
• ANKRAVA Sigma (academic writer)
• APECAT
• API (Association des producteurs indépendants)
• ARCANTUS MUSIKPRODUKTION
• ARIZONA BABY
• ARK
• ARMBRECHT Carsten
• ARNOLD David
• ARTISJUS
• ARTURS VAIŠĻA (writer)
• ÅSBRINK Brita (writer)
• ASSOCIACAO PORTUGESA DE EDITORES E LIVREIROS
• ASSOCIACIÓ MICROSCOPI
• ASSOCIATION DES EDITEURES BELGES
• ASSOCIATION OF SLOVAK PUBLISHERS AND BOOKSELLERS
• ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA EDITORE
• ATALS Valdis AUDIOCOOP
• AUSTRALIAN BLONDE
• AUSTRO-MECHANA
• AVELANGE Charles-Henri
• AYOHO
• AYRES Mark
• BACH Christian (director and screenwriter)
• BACHTHALER Sabine (screenwriter)
• BAEUML Mike (screenwriter)
• BALA
• BALL Fred
• BALLENA
• BANCQUART Sophie (Editions Le Pommier)
• BARKLEM Cecilia (translator)
• BARNES Lester
• BARNISKE Friedrich (Acoustic Concerts Berlin)