Universities must keep pushing on copyright, association says

The European University Association has published guidelines for its members on “essential” influencing of the national roll-out of updated EU digital copyright rules.

EU member states have begun adopting the copyright directive into national law, in a process that must be completed by June 2021. Sections of the directive that universities and rectors’ conferences should focus on when lobbying politicians are highlighted in the EUA advice, which was published on 18 June.

These include articles on text and data mining, cross-border teaching activities and online content-sharing services. Public research and higher education bodies will gain EU-wide rights under the directive, but the EUA warned, “Many provisions allow member states considerable room for interpretation, making it essential for universities to engage with their national governments.”