The News Media Alliance applauds Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) for the release of the discussion draft of his proposed Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) reform bill, which includes proposals that would help news publishers to be able to protect their online content and facilitate receiving payment from the tech platforms for use of their content.
News Media Alliance President & CEO, David Chavern, stated, “It is clear that Senator Tillis’ proposal contains multiple beneficial provisions for the copyright community as a whole, and the news media industry is particularly heartened by his support for a study into an ancillary copyright for news publishers and the ability to register online content.”
The adoption of an ancillary copyright in the United States would help balance the relationship between news publishers and the dominant online platforms and help news publishers get fair compensation for the use of their protected content online. The European Union adopted an ancillary copyright for news publishers in 2019 and the member states are currently implementing it nationally. Similarly, Australia has recently proposed legislation to require online platforms to compensate news publishers for the use of their content.
In addition, the draft proposes adopting regulations to allow the registration of online content, which would allow news publishers better protect their online content.
Chavern continued, “The current treatment of news online is skewed in favor of a few dominant platforms, and it is time to step up, level the playing field, and ensure the sustainability of high-quality journalism in America that so many of our communities rely on. We applaud Senator Tillis for taking this first step and hope that both of these provisions stay in any final version of the bill.”
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Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
