Kærestebilledet above is well known across the internet as ‘distracted boyfriend meme,’ and has, along with all the other so-called memes have been in danger of being illegal with a new EU directive.
Facts about memes
– The English word ‘meme’ means, originally, to a piece of culture is being copied and passed on to others.
– in modern times the word ‘meme’ used to describe a theme that spread virally through the internet.
– the Theme can have many variations. It can be both audio, images, movie clips, games or written text, or a combination of several.
Source: forum for communication and dictionary.com
It is an EU directive, with a focus on digital copyright, which has threatened internet-memes existence. But now hitting the european UNION that the new agreement specifically excludes internet memes.
It appears in a press release from the EU.
’the Directive is agreed to protect the sharing of quotes, criticisms, reviews, caricatures and parodies. This will ensure that the memes and Gifs will continue to be used,’ writes the EU.
It is Article 13 of the directive, which would have threatened the memes with the wording:
’the service Provider must ensure that unauthorized and protected works must not be available on their service.’
That means in short, to service providers as various meme websites, Facebook or Youtube would have to remove the memes from their website, as many memes use pictures, songs, or drawings, as they do not have rights to.
the Fear of internet memes would be a criminal offence, has got several users on social media to show their displeasure, among other things by using memes like the ones here:
Example of a meme on the article 13.
Example of a meme on the article 13.
Example of a meme on the article 13.
The new EU directive is reminiscent in many ways of the ACTA agreement back in 2012, estimates Lars Konzack, who is a researcher at the informationsstudier at Copenhagen University.
the ACTA agreement provided, among other things, digital copyright, in the same way as the new EU directive makes.
the text of ACTA was defeated in the EU Parliament, and Lars Konzack estimates that it is the fear of a repetition of the internetaktivismen in 2012, which has led to the exclusion of the memes in the new directive.
– People demonstrated in the thousands in front of the Palace. It was unusual, for it was not a demonstration planned by a trade union, but by random internet users, says Lars Konzack to Ekstra Bladet.
Internetaktivisme means, in short, to enable people through the internet.
Former has the responsibility for the uploaded material with the user, but with the new directive, the responsibility is shifted to the platforms.
It means that it is platforms such as Facebook or Google’s responsibility to enforce the various copyrights.
the Google-owned Youtube’s CEO, Susan Wojcicki, has spoken out critically of the directive.
Learn more about the European copyright rules and how Article 13 could put the creative economy of creators and artists around the world to risk: https://t.co/YJyHaYOGn7
— Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki) 8. september 2018
But even though the responsibility is moved to the platforms, but Lars Konzack still, it may have consequences for the users.
– If the directive is implemented, then we will see the media behave extra carefully in relation to what users can put out on the internet, ” says Lars Konzack.
– It could, for example, be an invented story in the Harry Potter universe, which one put on Youtube. The would Youtube, where appropriate, to remove, as they would not have a trial at the neck.
Lars Konzack also assesses that although memes are omitted from the directive, so can memes still be removed on different platforms, if the directive is implemented.
– Although the directive excludes memes specifically, it is the platforms, that determines, what must be. So if they don’t bother to take some chances, then they can also just remove the memes, tells Lars Konzac.
this Directive has been approved in the European Parliament, and must now be approved in the council of Representatives.
