Major Websites Protest Controversial EU Copyright Directive Ahead of Vote
German Wikipedia and other major platforms are protesting the EU Copyright Directive, warning that Articles 11 and 13 threaten free expression and innovation. Over 5 million Europeans sign a petition against the law before next week's parliamentary vote.
German Wikipedia goes dark for 24 hours while major platforms like Reddit, Pornhub, and Twitch display protest banners against the proposed EU Copyright Directive. Over 5 million Europeans sign a petition opposing the law, and 130 European businesses submit a letter to the European Parliament condemning the upcoming vote. The online protests urge the public to speak out using the hashtag #saveyourinternet before lawmakers decide the measure's fate next week.
Critics focus their opposition on Articles 11 and 13 of the legislation, arguing that these provisions give excessive power to news publishers and content-hosting platforms. Article 11 allows publishers to charge platforms for linking to their news stories, which opponents argue creates a completely new intellectual property right that stifles innovation and threatens startups relying on aggregated information.
Article 13 makes platforms legally responsible for any copyrighted materials that users upload, forcing websites to implement expensive content filtering mechanisms to screen posts before publication. Wikipedia warns that this requirement hurts free expression and threatens user-generated content like comedy, parody, illustrations, and criticism, echoing similar past protests such as the 2014 Internet Slowdown Day in the United States.