Power to the publisher or death to memes? The Copyright Directive debate...

While the new legislation has been endorsed by the European Commission as necessary to "protect Europe’s cultural heritage and create a level playing field between big online platforms and publishers, broadcasters and artists" by allowing European media, publishers and other content creators to seek compensation for the use of their content online, not everyone is happy about this.

Internet activists, tech giants and even the European consumer body, BEUC, protested the vote's outcome, with some saying this could spell the end of the internet as we know it.

For more:

• End of internet memes? EU approves controversial copyright law that 'could kill off the web's user-generated content' such as reaction GIFs, quotes from online articles and music remixes
  
• EU votes in favour of new internet copyright laws
  
• EU copyright law targets internet firms