Canada passed a law in June that sets a new standard of permissiveness. Britain too plans to introduce internet-friendly legislation this autumn. As with Canada’s law, the recommended new code entails exemptions for non-commercial uses and user-generated content. Another innovation is a copyright exemption for companies engaged in text- and data-mining (known as “big data”). Ireland and Australia are considering an exception that allows content legally obtained on one device to be accessed on another, called “format shifting”. Without such a provision, cloud-computing and digital-storage companies could be accused of abetting infringement. The Netherlands, South Korea and India are reviewing their copyright laws too.The tide is not all one way. EU officials want to maintain rules whereby computer users pay a small tithe on digital products to collection societies. These fees are meant to go to content creators but often end up enriching the middlemen instead.
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