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Article 13: Memes exempt as EU backs controversial copyright law
Copyright laws which critics say could change the internet have been voted in by the European Parliament.
The new rules, including the controversial Article 13, will hold tech firms responsible for material posted without copyright permission.
Sharing memes and GIFs will still be allowed under the new laws.
Many musicians and creators say the legislation will compensate artists fairly - but others argue that they will destroy user-generated content.
Copyright is the legal right that allows an artist to protect how their original work is used.
Tech companies have argued that artists are already paid fairly under the current system. Google said it would "harm Europe's creative and digital industries".
High-profile figures who have campaigned against the EU Copyright Directive include Wyclef Jean and web inventor Sir Tim Berners Lee, while Debbie Harry and Sir Paul McCartney have been among its supporters.
It has taken several revisions for the current legislation, which was was backed by 348 MEPs, with 274 against, to reach its final form.
It is now up to member states to approve the decision. If they do, they will have two years to implement it once it is officially published.
The two clauses causing the most controversy are known as Article 11 and Article 13.
- Article 11 states that search engines and news aggregate platforms should pay to use links from news websites.
- Article 13 holds larger technology companies responsible for material posted without a copyright licence. Tech companies already remove music and videos which are copyrighted, but under the new laws they will be more liable for any copyrighted content.
It means they would need to apply filters to content before it is uploaded.
Article 13 does not include cloud storage services and there are already existing exemptions, including parody, which, for example, includes memes.
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