Swiss Government Considers Changes to Copyright Law to Compensate Media Companies

The Swiss government has proposed changes to the country’s copyright law that would require large online service providers to compensate media companies for the use of their journalistic content, including small excerpts or snippets. The government has opened a four-month examination of the proposal to improve compensation for journalists and their media companies.

Current Situation

Currently, short previews of journalistic content or snippets are not protected under Swiss copyright law. Media companies and journalists do not receive any remuneration from online service companies that use their work. This is despite the fact that much of the content offered by search engines, social media and multimedia platforms is based on journalistic works by traditional media publishing.

Proposed Changes

The Swiss government has proposed that large online service providers should be required to remunerate media companies for the use of snippets. For example, if a large search engine shows snippets of newspaper articles in its search results, the online service provider will have to pay remuneration for this in the future. However, only the biggest online services, which draw a number of users annually amounting to at least 10 percent of Switzerland’s population, would be required to pay such compensation.

Reasoning

The Swiss government believes that public debate in a democracy has largely moved onto the internet and therefore it is important that media companies and journalists are compensated for their work. The government has pointed to changes abroad, including a directive by the European Union, which helps media companies defend their interests with regard to online services.

The Swiss government’s proposal to change the country’s copyright law to require large online service providers to compensate media companies for the use of their journalistic content is a significant move. The proposal shows that the Swiss government is concerned with the protection of the rights of media companies and journalists in the digital age. It remains to be seen whether the proposal will be implemented, but it is clear that the government is taking the issue seriously.