illustration of EU copyright law European copyright law
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The EU's new copyright rules, designed to bring clarity to rights-holders and platforms in the digital age, are still fraught with uncertainty, according to lawyers in Europe and the US.

The 28 countries of the EU agreed to new copyright rules in April, after 18 months of tough negotiations among themselves and with European lawmakers.

The Directive on Copyright and Related Rights in the Digital Single Market, also known as the EU Copyright Directive, was intended to update rules for an era in which so much content, including music and videos, is shared and consumed via digital platforms. It was also meant to harmonise the approach to copyright among the 28 countries, which have different legal and cultural traditions that have shaped the protection of authors' and other creators' rights.