IMPALA WELCOMES EU COURT JUDGEMENT ON ARTICLE 17
Brussels, 26 April 2022
This morning, the Court of Justice of the EU dismissed the challenge brought by Poland against Article 17 of the 2019 EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market.
IMPALA’s Executive Chair, Helen Smith, commented: “We welcome the Court’s conclusion that Article 17 is compatible with fundamental rights. The ruling confirms that Article 17 has all the necessary safeguards. This means that the best approach for member states who have not yet implemented Article 17 is to stick to the text of the directive. IMPALA’s view has always been that Article 17 is a balanced outcome and the court’s confirmation of this is welcome.”
Helen Smith concluded: “Correctly implemented, Article 17 will rebalance relations between rightholders and platforms, give a recovery boost to the sector at no costs for governments and ensure citizens’ fundamental rights are respected, as well as those of creators.”
More about IMPALA
IMPALA was established in 2000 and now represents nearly 6000 independent music companies. 99% of Europe’s music companies are small, micro and medium businesses and self-releasing artists. Known as the independents, they are world leaders in terms of innovation and discovering new music and artists – they produce more than 80% of all new releases and account for 80% of the sector’s jobs. IMPALA’s mission is to grow the independent music sector sustainably, return more value to artists, promote diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access, inspire change, and increase access to finance.