Eucd Best Practice Guide: Implementing the EU Copyright Directive in the Digital Age

Abstract

This report provides a set of recommendations for transposing the European Union Copyright Directive (EUCD) into the national copyright frameworks of accession states and candidate countries. The guide, which is based on a peer-produced compilation and comparison of existing implementations of the EUCD across Europe, could also inform future law reform in existing member states.

The report focuses on digital copyright issues and suggests principles aimed at establishing best practices with regard to user autonomy and peer collaboration, diversity, and political and cultural participation. The study includes specific recommendations in controversial areas such as DRM anti-circumvention frameworks, private copying exceptions, teaching exceptions, exceptions for disabled people, exceptions for archives and libraries, as well as recommendations on issues such as reporting on current events, the quotation right, and provisions on caricature and parody, among others.

Keywords: copyright, EUCD, anti-circumvention legislation, copyright exceptions, privatecopying, best practice

JEL Classification: K20, K33, K42, L82, L86