EU lawmakers agree common position on copyright reform

EU lawmakers agreed on Wednesday on a common position over copyright reforms ahead of talks with the 28 EU countries on legislation which they say will force Google, Facebook and other tech giants to share revenues more fairly with creative industries, Reuters reports. At the assembly, 438 voted in favor while 226 were against, with 39 abstentions. The next step is negotiations with the European Commission and the 28 EU countries to reconcile their different positions before updating existing copyright laws. A majority of the lawmakers had in July rejected the tough approach proposed by a key committee tasked by the EU Parliament to look into the issue. The Commission kicked off the debate on copyright reforms two years ago to ensure that online platforms pay publishers, broadcasters and artists a fair share of revenue and bear liability for online infringement.