In a plenary vote, the European Parliament said no to the Copyright Directive mandate. This means that the controversial copyright reform proposal will be opened for debate and possible amendments. Pirate Party MEP Julia Reda describes the outcome as a "great success," noting that the protests have worked. When the European Commission
announced its plans to modernize EU copyright law two years ago, the public barely paid attention. This changed significantly in recent months. Hundreds of thousands of people spoke out against Article 13, which imposes
new restrictions on online service providers. At the same time, many people in creative industries stressed the importance of the plans. After the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament (JURI)
adopted the proposals last month the campaigns continued, targeting today’s plenary vote in the European Parliament. Opponents pressed their representatives to open up the proposal for debate, so significant changes can be made. Supporters, for their part, urged Members of Parliament to keep things the way they are now. This afternoon the plenary voted in opposition of the mandate, with 278 votes in favor and 318 against.
