with ‘upload filters’ and ‘link taxes’
Following the example of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union has approved the renewed EU Copyright Directive. The Netherlands voted against and Belgium abstained. The new legislation is now final.

The new copyright directive has been adopted by a large majority of more than 71 percent. That could be seen in a live stream of the vote . The Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Finland and Sweden voted against. Belgium, Estonia and Slovenia abstained. It was already known that the Netherlands would vote against. At the vote in the European Parliament at the end of March , most Dutch MEPs voted against .

Now that the new regulation has been approved by the European Council, it is final after a long process. European member states now have 24 months to implement the revised copyright directive in their own legislation.

The new legislation is, according to proponents, a ‘much needed’ modernization of copyright and should better protect artists. There is much criticism of the negative side effects, such as the arrival of upload filters and link taxes. Tweakers published a background article on the Copyright Directive at the end of March.

Voting EU copyright directive