Over the last two decades, we have witnessed a dramatic shift in access to music and film through online services. Some online services share content, such as Youtube and TikTok, while others select and make content available themselves, such as Spotify, Apple Music and Netflix.

The adoption in 2019 of the European Copyright Directive (2019/790) by the EU institutions, specifically Article 18, highlighted a consensus that performers were not receiving fair remuneration for online uses of their content, such as streaming. While the Member States have until June of this year to implement the directive, a few have already published draft legislation through which they will regulate certain online services, namely online content-sharing services.

Could the Commission please clarify if the mention of ‘appropriate and proportionate remuneration’ in Article 18 of the European Copyright Directive applies to all uses of content, including by online services, not limited to online content-sharing service providers?