MEPs have a chance to make copyright law fit for research

"First, this exemption has to be mandatory. Otherwise, EU member states will choose whether to include it in national law, leading to a patchwork of regulations and hampering collaborative research. This would be glaringly at odds with the harmonisation sought by EU copyright law and the goal of a digital single market.

Second, both commercial and non-commercial research should be exempted. There is only a thin line between the two, rendering any distinction illusory. Big companies would benefit, but so would small companies and spinouts coming out of universities.

Europe is often accused of being good at basic research but poor at commercialising it. Rules that limit commercial research will not make this situation better, and would violate research commissioner Carlos Moedas’s principle that EU legislation should be innovation-friendly.

Third, the exception should apply to anyone with legal access to the content. The right to read must be the right to mine.

Some publishers are taking advantage of the legal vacuum..."