Federal Council wants to further expand copyright protection
Published: Wednesday, Jun 26th 2024, 12:50
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Google, Facebook and co. are to pay copyright fees when they display short excerpts from newspaper articles. Although this so-called ancillary copyright for media was controversial during the consultation process, the Federal Council is sticking to its plans for a corresponding amendment to the Copyright Act.
It has instructed the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) to draw up a dispatch on this by the first half of 2025, the national government announced on Wednesday. This will give Parliament the opportunity to comment and decide on the matter.
In the consultation process that ended last fall, major publishers welcomed the fact that large internet companies will be required to pay for the distribution of media content in future. This concerns so-called "snippets", i.e. short excerpts from newspaper articles, which are currently not subject to compensation.
Small media, on the other hand, fear that the ancillary copyright could prove counterproductive. Their umbrella organization VMZ wrote that the bill poses considerable risks and prevents the debate on necessary reforms to media funding and platform regulation.
The Swiss parties reacted differently to the consultation draft. Swico, the trade association of the ICT and Internet industry, was firmly opposed to the draft.
©Keystone/SDA
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