DSM Directive: EWC Member The Society of Authors urges UK Government for fairness for authors

The United Kingdom will leave the European Union on 31st January 2020 and the Implementation Period will end on 31st December 2020. The government has committed not to extend the implementation period. Therefore, the United Kingdom will not be required to implement the directive, and the government has no plans to do so.

EWC Member, The Society of Authors, and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) have expressed disappointment at the government’s decision not to implement an EU law on copyright, intended to ensure “a well-functioning marketplace for copyright”.

Nicola Solomon, chief executive of the SoA, said the organisation was “very disappointed”. With no desire for the UK to “reinvent the wheel”, not least when the EU may “likely” require harmonious law in this area post-Brexit for trade, she vowed the SoA and other creators’ organisations would continue to lobby for similar legislation in the UK.

“The directive includes many provisions which would see a more level playing field for authors when their work is used by platforms and publishers including provisions for transparency, fair pay and reversion of rights which are no longer being exploited. It includes checks on the activities of platforms which are vital to maintain privacy and the value of content,” Solomon explained.

Read the article on The Bookseller: The Society of Authors – Statement