Ruth writes, "The link tax is back, but we have a chance to stop it. The Save the Link network are pushing back against proposals in the EU for a new hyperlinking fee (AKA 'ancillary copyright') that will affect us all. If lobbyists succeed copyright rules will be extended to hyperlinks – giving publishers the right to charge business fees for linking to content."
A move that would see:
-Confusion and legal uncertainty on how links can be shared.
-Search engines might choose to only pay fees and link to the biggest news companies, reducing the variety of our news sources.
-Sites like Boing Boing, made up of links to other interesting content, would find themselves on the pointy end of this law and struggling to pay all the new fees
-Small publishers would lose traffic and revenue and close up shop
-Our access to news, knowledge and ideas would shrink away, and the web would get a whole lot smaller.
But the deadline for the consultation on these plans is nearly here. Sign the statement to say NO to the link tax today.
Want to learn more about what this campaign is about? Here's a blog explaining the key issues. And if you're convinced, be sure to sign our petition.
Tell the European Commission NOW: Do not create link tax laws.
[Save the Link]
