The "Ancillary Right" for Press Publishers: The Present German and Spanish legislation and the EU Proposal

Abstract

Germany and Spain have introduced a special right against the exploitation of press publishers` investment by (other) commercial services like Google News. The EU Commission, in September 2016, proposed a directive that includes legislation about an “ancillary right” for press publishers that would allow them to prohibit even noncommercial uses. This article discusses the reasons for this new layer of IP rights and its possible impacts on research and education.