In agreeing to share the guidelines, Director-General Roberto Viola wrote that the participants of the Stakeholder Dialogue “have my assurance that you will be further consulted before the adoption of the guidance” and that the details and timing of that consultation “will be decided shortly and shared with you.”

Background

In January, Liberties and 42 other fundamental and digital rights organizations and the knowledge community sent an open letter to the Commission calling on it, in the spirit of better regulation and transparency, to share the draft guidelines in order to ensure that proper regulations for upload filters are included and free speech is protected.

The Stakeholder Dialogues have been organized by the Commission. Online platforms, copyright holders, users’ organizations, and fundamental rights and digital rights organizations meet and discuss best practices for cooperation between online platforms and rightholders.

The focus of concern, from a human rights perspective is to find a balance between fundamental rights and copyright. Article 17 of the directive (previously Article 13) regulates the new liability regime of online platforms, upload filters, and agreements between copyright owners and online platforms.

For more on the Article 17’s threats to the free and open internet, read this.