BERLIN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The German government has approved a draft law on copyright in the digital single market, the Ministry of Justice (BMJV) said on Wednesday.
"By implementing the largest European copyright reform of the past 20 years into German law, we are making copyright fit for the digital age," said Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht in a statement.
A separate new law would regulate copyright for online platforms such as YouTube or Facebook, which would be responsible if users upload copyrighted texts, such as images or videos. In the future, platforms would have to acquire licenses for such copyright content.
"Our draft provides for a fair balance of interests that will benefit creatives, rights exploiters and users alike," said Lambrecht. "Creatives and copyright holders should receive a fair share of the platforms' profits."
In absence of a corresponding license, the platform must generally block uploaded content registered by rights holders, according to the German government.
However, short excerpts are "would still be possible to upload," the government noted. Quotations, caricatures, parodies and pastiche could also still be used.
The new draft law implements a European Union directive with the aim of adapting copyright law to the requirements of the digital society. Another directive intends to improve European civil society's cross-border access to broadcast content, in particular via Internet-based forms of broadcast. Enditem
