Several netizens linger around on the internet just for memes. However, that small source of happiness could be ruined as a result of a recently-proposed bill.
The new bipartisan bill dubbed the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019 is making rounds in Congress in the US and has recently been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019
As heavy as it may sound, the implications of the law are huge too. To put things into perspective, if you share memes that are not yours on social media, you might have to pay a fine of $15,000 per work that you violated. This could go up to $30,000 in fines.
The new bill will make way for a “voluntary small claim board” within the Copyright Office and will act as a shield for the various copyright owners out there.
Furthermore, the law is an extension of the recent European Union Article 13 that aims to protect the rights of intellectual property owners in the social media arena.
Anti-Meme Bill Impact
If we think from the creators’ point of view, the new bill will make sure no one infringes their work and if it happens, they will be compensated for it. This will act as an umbrella for many who find their work being stolen without being accredited, thus disrupting the very nature of ownership.
In addition to this, social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and many more tend to use people’s work and not really pay them back, and this bill could help in that way too.
However, for the people who just love the meme-game and it’s part of their everyday schedule, this will be a definite problem as the online freedom of speech and expression of the users will get hindered.
However, there is no word on if the bill also includes meme-sharing with credits.
My Take On This?
For me, the idea of sharing memes or viewing them is just a practice to lighten the mood when work takes a toll on us. Putting up rules and regulations on this doesn’t really seem right to me.
Nonetheless, the bill is still not official. Hence, stay tuned to Fossbytes for more such updates.
