Copyright in the Single Market Directive Will Hurt EU Startups and Small Businesses

The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), regarding the European Parliament’s preliminary vote to impose the Copyright in the Single Market Directive:

“This directive is harsh and anti-consumer – the mandatory filtering and other provisions will dramatically reduce free speech and creativity on the internet. Banning sports fans from posting their pictures and videos from professional sporting events does not help fix copyright issues.

“It is no wonder that the US Congress overwhelmingly rejected similar provisions, SOPA/PIPA, in 2012.

“The EU’s imposition of yet another vast regulatory regime will smother European startups already reeling from the costly demands of GDPR. Only the largest companies have the resources to comply with the directive and police the entire internet for copyright infringement. If Europe wants to increase competition on the internet, they must stop crushing their entrepreneurs with massive and unwieldy regulation.”