Access to European Union law
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Access to European Union law

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Glossary of summaries

EU copyright

Copyright refers to a range of rights granted to authors and performers, producers and broadcasters, principally:

  • Economic rights allowing rights-holders to control how their work and other protected material is used, and to receive payment for it. These rights normally authorise or prohibit making and distributing copies, as well as communication to the public, and are harmonised across the EU.
  • Moral rights involve the right to claim authorship of the work and the right to object to any derogatory action in relation to the work, and are not harmonised across the EU.

EU copyright law consists of a range of directives and regulations harmonising essential rights, guaranteeing the protection needed to encourage creativity and stimulate investment in the sector. The aim is to promote cultural diversity and better access for consumers and businesses to digital content and services across Europe. Copyrighting uses licensing as its main mechanism, most often granted directly by the rights-holder or a rights management organisation.

EU actions have led to more harmonised protection of rights-holders, lower costs and greater choice for content users, notably through:

  • a European regulatory framework for copyright and related rights;
  • promoting dialogues on copyright and related issues; and
  • taking a leading role in international negotiations and discussions on copyright.

Digital technologies have radically changed the copyright landscape, with 33 sectors of the EU economy considered copyright-intensive, accounting for over 7 million jobs, or 3% of employment in the EU.

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