YouTube issues new warnings over proposed EU copyright directive
It’s fair to say that the proposed EU rules on copyright haven’t been popular in the digital media world. In fact, they’ve been met with a great deal of criticism, not just from internet giants, but from celebrities, freedom of speech campaign groups, and others. But in their latest warning, YouTube have suggested that the new rules could not only be damaging, but they could also make it impossible for users to upload their own videos to the site.
According to YouTube, the directive would be putting the entire creative online community at risk. They add that the new rules could “drastically change the internet that you see today”. This follows the ongoing concerns over the rules, which have been nicknamed the “meme ban”. The opposition claim that the directive would have a negative impact on the way the internet works; YouTube have pointed out, on several occasions, that it would hinder freedom of expression.
In the latest comments from the company, YouTube says that normal users could struggle to upload their own videos. This could result in them relying on larger companies to show content. Additionally, viewers in the EU could be banned from viewing some types of videos.
The result for smaller content creators could be disastrous. In a letter from the company, aimed at video creators, they say that article 13 “threatens to shut down the ability of millions of people – from creators like you to everyday users – to upload content to platforms like YouTube”.
It goes on to say that: “It threatens to block users in the EU from viewing content that is already live on the channels of creators everywhere. The proposal could force platforms, like YouTube, to allow only content from a small number of large companies. It would be too risky for platforms to host content from smaller original content creators, because the platforms would now be directly liable for that content.” Lastly, it adds that the rules could “threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs”
