Article 13: fighting the EU meme ban with memes

The EU is close to passing a copyright reform law to update its copyright legislation for the digital age. The final vote on the Copyright Directive is expected to take place in the European Parliament plenary between 25 and 28 March.

“In many respects, the reforms are necessary to protect the rights of content creators and artists. However, two poorly formulated articles are threatening to have a damaging effect on the freedom of expression online. Article 13 is the key piece for concerns in the proposal. Most importantly, the effect of the new Copyright Directive will not be limited to the EU, which is large enough to affect many websites around the world,” says Ruby Gonzalez, Head of Communication at NordVPN.

As the decision day in the EU Parliament is approaching, NordVPN joins millions of Europeans in opposing the new law. Since memes are one of the most popular forms of expression, which Article 13 puts at risk, NordVPN invites all internet users to express their opposition through memes. NordVPN promises to award the authors of the most popular entries with free 3-year subscriptions to its service.

“The EU Parliament will vote on laws that have the potential to chill free speech and creativity on the internet around the world. This is the last chance for the public to express how important the free and open internet is to us,” says Ruby Gonzalez, Head of Communication at NordVPN. “We support online freedom of speech and expression, and we oppose online censorship. The law should protect the rights of authors, but that should be accomplished without damaging free speech.”

How to oppose Article 13 with memes:

Create a meme about Article 13, expressing how it might affect your life or why you’re opposed to it;
Upload it to Twitter or Reddit. On Twitter, use the hashtag #NotMyEUdirective and tag @NordVPN. On Reddit, upload it to the sticky thread on the NordVPN subreddit.
On March 26th 12:00 PM GMT, 20 best meme authors (10 from Reddit and Twitter each) will be awarded free 3-year NordVPN subscriptions.

Public outcry around Article 13 reached a historical peak with almost 5 million Europeans signing a petition against it. Thousands have called, tweeted, and emailed their Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Additionally, several websites are planning to shut down on 21 March – the Internet blackout day. On 23 March, protests will be held all around Europe, with thousands expected to join.

NordVPN is a trusted online security solution, used by over 8 million internet users worldwide. It offers double VPN encryption, ad blocking & Onion Over VPN. The product is very user friendly, offers one of the best prices on the market, has over 5,000 servers worldwide and is P2P friendly. For more information: nordvpn.com.

NordVPN is a trusted online security solution, used by over 8 million internet users worldwide. It offers double VPN encryption, ad blocking & Onion Over VPN. The product is very user friendly, offers one of the best prices on the market, has over 5,000 servers worldwide and is P2P friendly. For more information: nordvpn.com.

NordVPN
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Laura Tyrell
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laura@nordvpnmedia.com

This release was published on openPR.