11 April 2018 — OpenMedia

Axel Voss MEP is determined to push through the legislation that his lobbyist friends have asked for, destroying our ability to link to news, and to find information online. His latest suggestions include copyrighting facts, and making it impossible to share even your own stories for free.1

But it’s not over yet. MEPs are voting on this proposal in the next few weeks. We only have a little time left then to convince all the other MEPs on this crucial committee to shoot down Axel’s plan.

We urgently need you to call your MEP. Our call tool is simple to use, and we’ve provided some clear and straightforward messages to get you started when you phone your representative. Can you call your MEP now to ask them to vote no to Axel Voss’ dangerous proposals? 

• Demanding websites install censorship mechanisms.2
• Copyrighting facts by expanding the link tax to cover press agencies — something that 100 years of copyright law has always said no to.3
• Making it impossible for people to opt-out of charging for their content — destroying the idea of creative commons.4

Voss’ latest compromise is a smack in the face to all of our work. He’s not just ignoring the public — he’s ignoring all of the evidence that says this will have no positive impact, and ignoring the journalists and editors who have begged him to turn the tide on this proposal and listen to the workers, not the media owners.

Axel Voss even admitted that he wants to pass these rules to punish Google and Facebook for their power, even if the rules are, “maybe not the best idea”.5 That is no basis for an international Directive!

This month is our last big push. You have been amazing in challenging these terrible proposals. Voss and the big media lobbyists thought that they could pass these proposals one year ago. Your persistent fighting has led to delays in votes whilst other MEPs demand that Voss change his proposals. Those MEPs need your support too.6

Please give an MEP a call today.

Ruth, and all the team at OpenMedia

P.S. Even in the UK, this proposal will have an impact. It will change the standards of how information is shared, it will mean less access to EU news resources, it could easily become law in the UK after Brexit, and once it’s in, it won’t be high on the agenda to sort out. So please call your MEP today!

Footnotes 
[1] To Axel Voss, the European Commission’s plan for a link tax is not extreme enough. Source: Julia Reda 
[2] Mandatory upload filters in the EU? Source: Janos Pasztor
[3] News agencies admit they want to stop people freely linking to their stories. Source: Julia Reda
[4] Head of copyright committee wants to deny EU creators the right to share. Source: Creative Commons
[5] “Das Leistungsschutzrecht ist nicht die beste Idee” Interview with Axel Voss. Source: Golem.de
[6] No room for upload filters in the EU: Source: Marietje Schaake MEP