EU Copyright Directive provokes unprecedented lobbying
THE final text of new copyright laws redefining how internet companies can use content they do not own was put before the European Parliament in February, with a vote due later this month.
The EU Copyright Directive’s two most controversial articles, 11 and 13 have seen a fault line develop between real and virtual big names and commercial interests. The likes of Sir Tim Berners Lee and Jimmy Wales and Google oppose the new rules. In June they were among 70 signatories of a letter saying that article 13 was “an unprec- edented step towards the transformation of the internet from an open platform for shar- ing and innovation, into a tool for the auto- mated surveillance and control of its users.” Opposing them, artists and media groups support the proposed rules.
In January the European Parliament pub- lished a press release Q&A which said: “The directive has been the subject of intense campaigning. Indeed, some statistics inside the European Parliament show that MEPs have rarely or even never been subject to a similar degree of lobbying before.” The press release countered claims that the new rules, if passed, would “kill” or “break” the internet saying: “There are numerous precedents of lobbying campaigns pre- dicting catastrophic outcomes, which have never come true.” It said: “Since the draft directive does not confer any new rights on creatives, nor impose new obligations on internet platforms or news aggregators, such claims seem excessive.”
It said the new laws were aimed at help- ing “all creators have a stronger bargaining position on how their work is used by online
Beating hygiene poverty
platforms, the main beneficiaries will be the smaller players. Larger players often have law firms to safeguard their rights, whereas smaller ones currently have little means to support them.”
Julia Reda, a German MEP who opposes the directive, has said that if enough people contact their MEPs, there is still a chance to get Articles 11 and 13 removed from the Copyright Directive. She said: “The final Parliament vote will happen mere weeks before the EU elections. Most MEPs – and certainly all parties – are going to be seeking reelection. Articles 11 and 13 will be defeated if enough voters make these issues relevant to the campaigns… It is up to you to make clear to your representatives: Their vote on whether to break the internet with Articles 11 and 13 will make or break your vote in the EU elections.”
Unique trans archive goes on display
THE Royal Society of Medicine is showcasing an important archive on transgender issues as part of a wider strand on LGBTQ+ health. The archive is from the late Dr Georgina Somerset, a prominent campaigner for transgender and intersex rights. Born George in 1923, she lived for 34 years as man after being wrongly registered as a boy at birth. She eventually won the right to change her birth certificate in 1960 – after a stint in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and qualifying as a dentist in 1944. Paul Banks, Head of Library and Knowl-
Libraries Unlimited’s Jo Launder (left) with Exeter Library team.
AN initiative to wipe out hygiene poverty has teamed up with Libraries Unlimited as part of its drive to give people of limited income access to health and hygiene products.
The Devon-based library service has installed a number of Beauty Banks in its buildings, providing collection points were library users can donate items such as shampoo, soap, deodorant and tooth- paste. The items are then passed on to local charities where they can be distrib- uted to those in need. Beauty Banks was launched in Feb-
March 2019
ruary 2018 by beauty PR Jo Jones and journalist Sali Hughes as a social enterprise. Both Libraries Unlimited and Beauty Banks were named as Nesta New Radicals last year for the work they do to promote social justice. Joanne Launder, Head of Service Delivery at Libraries Unlimited, said: “This joint partnership means that we can reach out to even more people when they are at their most vulnerable and provide them with essential products that they simply cannot afford them- selves.”
edge Services at the Royal Society of Medicine, said: “The Somerset Archive is a fascinating resource of its time and draws together disparate material and memorabilia including cuttings from the popular press and medical journals, that would otherwise prove difficult to find. The collection will doubtless become an important resource for those studying the history of transgender identity in the UK.” The archive will be on display at the Royal Society of Medicine in London from June, and is the first time items have been publicly displayed. l
www.rsm.ac.uk
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