European Intermediary Liability in Copyright: A Tort-Based Analysis: A Tort-Based Analysis

by Christina Angelopoulos

Overview

Informatiion Law Series Volume 39

The European Harmonisation of Intermediary Accessory Liability in Copyright provides a clarification on the substantive rules of European intermediary accessory liability in copyright and formulates harmonised European norms to govern this complicated topic. In step with the rapid progress to the centre of modern social, political, and economic life, the internet has proven a convenient vehicle for the commission of unprecedented levels of copyright infringement. Given the formidable practical obstacles to the successful pursuit of actual perpetrators, it has become common for intermediaries – providers of internet-related infrastructure and services – to face liability as accessories. Despite advances in policy at the European level, the law in this area remains far from consistently applicable. This is the first book to take a law-based approach towards exploring a possible introduction of a substantive European intermediary liability.

What’s in this book:

With a detailed comparative analysis of relevant regimes in three major Member State jurisdictions – England, France, and Germany – the author elucidates the relationship between these rules and the demands of EU law on fundamental rights and the principles of European tort law. On this basis, she clearly presents the interrelations between such areas as the following:

• accessory liability in tort;
• joint tortfeasance;
• European fault-based liability: fault, causation, defences;
• negligence;
• negligence balancing: rights-based or utility-based;
• Germany’s ‘disturbance liability’ (Störerhaftung);
• fair balance in human rights;
• end-users’ fundamental rights;
• the European Commission’s 2015 Communication on a Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe;
• the E-Commerce Directive and other relevant provisions;
• safe harbours: mere conduit, caching, hosting;
• intermediary actions: monitoring, filtering, blocking, removal of infringing content; and
• application of remedies: damages and injunctions.

The strong points of each national system are highlighted, as are the commonalities between them, and the author uses these to build a proposed harmonised European framework for intermediary liability for copyright infringement. The author concludes with suggestions for the future possible integration of the proposed framework into EU law.

How this will help you:

This book discusses the issue of the liability of internet intermediaries for third-party copyright infringement that has entered into the political agenda across the globe, giving rise to one of the most complex, contentious, and fascinating debates in modern copyright law. This book offers an opportunity for a re-conceptualisation and rationalisation of the applicable law, in a way which better accounts for the cross-border nature of the internet. The proposed reintegration of intermediary accessory copyright liability into underlying national tort norms, common principles of European tort law, and the European law of fundamental rights will prove to be of inestimable value to many interested parties – lawyers, internet intermediaries, NGOs, policymakers, universities, libraries, researchers, lobbyists – in matters regarding the information society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789041168351
Publisher:	Wolters Kluwer
Publication date:	11/18/2016
Series:	Information Law Series Set
Pages:	567
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.40(d)

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations xi

Acknowledgements xv

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

1.1 Setting the Scene 3

1.2 Problem Definition 7

1.3 Scope 12

1.3.1 Accessory Liability 13

1.3.2 Internet Intermediaries 15

1.3.3 Copyright Law 19

1.3.4 Remedies 20

1.4 Terminology 23

1.4.1 'Accessory Liability' 24

1.4.2 'Tort Law' 28

1.5 Methodology 28

1.5.1 The European Legal Method 29

1.5.2 Comparative Law 33

1.5.3 Selection of National Jurisdictions 38

1.6 Outline 39

1.7 A Brief Note on Ideology 43

Chapter 2 The Need for Reform: The Current EU Legal Framework 49

2.1 A Brief Overview of the EU Rules on Copyright 49

2.1.1 The Right of Reproduction 52

2.1.2 The Right of Communication to the Public 56

2.1.3 Primary and Accessory EU Copyright Liability 64

2.2 The EU Rules on Intermediary Accessory Liability in Copyright 67

2.2.1 Scope: Defining Intermediaries in the Directives 69

2.2.1.1 Intermediaries in the E-Commerce Directive 69

2.2.1.2 Intermediaries in the Copyright Directive 75

2.2.2 Article 12 of the E-Commerce Directive: The Mere Conduit Safe Harbour 77

2.2.3 Article 13 of the E-Commerce Directive: The Caching Safe Harbour 78

2.2.4 Article 14 of the E-Commerce Directive: The Hosting Safe Harbour 81

2.2.4.1 The Knowledge Standard 82

2.2.4.2 Post-knowledge Reaction 87

2.2.4.3 Absence of Authority or Control 88

2.2.4.4 Notice-and-Action 89

2.2.4.5 Duties of Care 94

2.2.5 Article 8 of the Copyright Directive: Injunctive Relief 96

2.2.6 Article 3 of the Enforcement Directive: General Limitations 98

2.2.7 Article 15 of the E-Commerce Directive: More Concrete Guidance 100

2.2.7.1 No General Obligation to Monitor 100

2.2.7.2 Notification to the Authorities 105

2.2.7.3 Injunctions versus Duties of Care 106

2.3 A 'Fair Balance' between Copyright and Other Fundamental Rights 108

2.3.1 Balancing Intermediary Liability in the EU 108

2.3.2 The Origins of Fair Balance: Balancing in Legal Theory, the CJEU and the ECHR 114

2.3.2.1 'Fair Balance' in CJEU Case Law 116

2.3.2.2 'Fair Balance' in ECtHR Case Law 123

2.3.3 Balancing Intermediary Liability in the ECHR 128

2.3.4 Balancing as Legal Discourse 132

2.4 Conclusion 136

Chapter 3 Digging Deeper: The National Norms on Intermediary Accessory Liability 145

3.1 England 146

3.1.1 Secondary Infringement 146

3.1.2 Authorisation of Infringement 148

3.1.2.1 The Evolution of Authorisation 149

3.1.2.2 Authorisation Abroad: Divergent Interpretations 153

3.1.2.3 Authorisation Online 156

3.1.3 Return to Tort Law Basics: Joint Tortfeasance 162

3.1.3.1 Procurement or Inducement 164

3.1.3.2 Combination or Common Design 165

3.1.3.3 Assistance or Faciliation 167

3.1.3.4 Joint Tortfeasance and Intermediary Liability 175

3.1.4 Injunctive Relief 179

3.1.4.1 Section 97A CDPA 179

3.1.4.2 Norwich Pharmacal orders 183

3.1.5 Duties of Care: The Negligence Approach 185

3.2 France 187

3.2.1 Special Liability Regimes A: The Hébergeur 189

3.2.2 Special Liability Regime B: The Éditeur 197

3.2.3 Le Droit Commun: The General Rules of Tort Law 203

3.2.3.1 Règles spéciales: The Intellectual Property Code 207

3.2.3.2 Règles générales: Negligence Liability 216

3.2.4 Action en cessation: Injunctive Relief 223

3.2.5 Additional Obligations 230

3.3 Germany 232

3.3.1 Störerhaftung or Disturber Liability 233

3.3.1.1 The Conditions of Störerhaftung 235

3.3.1.2 Störerhaftung and Intermediary Liability in Copyright 243

3.3.1.3 Compatibility with the E-Commerce Directive 250

3.3.1.4 Störerhaftung as Injunctive Relief for 'Neutral' Intermediaries 255

3.3.2 The General Rules of Tort Law 257

3.3.2.1 Täterhaftung: Liability as a Joint Tortfeasor 258

3.3.2.2 Mittäter and Teilnehmer: Participants, Instigators and Accessories 263

3.3.2.3 Towards a Negligence-Based Accessory Liability 266

3.3.3 Information Claims 270

3.4 Conclusion: Three Views on Accessory Liability 271

Chapter 4 Back to the Basics: The Elements of a European Accessory Liability 279

4.1 A European Fault Liability 284

4.1.1 Defining Fault Liability 285

4.1.2 The Conditions of Fault Liability 287

4.2 Fault 289

4.2.1 Intention 293

4.2.2 Negligence 297

4.2.2.1 The Reasonable Person 297

4.2.2.2 The Factors of Negligence 301

4.2.2.3 Outer Negligence: Risk and Care 305

4.2.2.4 Inner Negligence: Knowledge and Abilities 309

4.3 The Limits of Fault 311

4.3.1 Germany: Unlawfulness 312

4.3.2 England: Duty of Care 317

4.3.3 The Limits of Fault and Intermediary Accessory Liability in Copyright 321

4.3.3.1 Copyright and Pure Economic Loss 322

4.3.3.2 Accessory Liability and Omissions 326

4.3.4 A European Rule for Omissions 336

4.4 Causation 340

4.4.1 Causation in the National Systems 343

4.4.1.1 Germany 345

4.4.1.2 England 346

4.4.1.3 France 347

4.4.2 Causation and Intermediary Accessory Liability in Copyright 349

4.4.3 A European Rule for Causation 356

4.5 Defences 361

4.5.1 Defences in the National Systems 362

4.5.2 A European Rule for Defences 363

4.6 Negligence Balancing and the 'Fair Balance' 366

4.6.1 Negligence Balancing: A Rights-Based or Utility-Based Approach? 367

4.6.2 A Return to 'Fair Balance' 374

4.6.3 Bridging the Gap to Fundamental Rights 379

4.7 Conclusion 384

Chapter 5 Shaping European Intermediary Accessory Copyright Liability: What Would a Reasonable Intermediary Do? 389

5.1 The Basic Framework: The Unreasonable Intermediary 390

5.1.1 The Building Blocks of Accessory Liability 394

5.1.2 Fault Liability and Legal Persons 398

5.2 The Conduct Element 399

5.2.1 'A Psychological Causation' 399

5.2.2 'Mere' Facilitation 401

5.2.3 Causal Participation 403

5.3 The Mental Element 408

5.3.1 Intention 409

5.3.1.1 Defining Intention in Intermediary Liability 411

5.3.1.2 Proving the Intermediary's Intent 412

5.3.1.3 General versus Specific Intent 415

5.3.2 Knowledge 419

5.3.2.1 Actual versus Constructive Knowledge 420

5.3.2.2 General versus Specific Knowledge 422

5.3.2.3 Knowledge Floors and Knowledge Ceilings 430

5.4 'Something More': Duties of Care 431

5.4.1 Balancing the Duties of Care 436

5.4.2 Structuring Balancing: The Criteria of Care 438

5.4.3 The Four Criteria of Care 444

5.4.3.1 The Risk of Infringement 444

5.4.3.2 The Benefit of the Conduct 449

5.4.3.3 The Burden of the Measures of Care 454

5.4.3.4 The Responsibility of the Intermediary 459

5.5 'Fairly Balanced' Measures of Care: Individual Analysis 464

5.5.1 The Suspension of the Perpetrator of the Infringement 467

5.5.2 Measures for the Identification of the Perpetrator 469

5.5.3 The Monitoring Content, Including Filtering 471

5.5.4 The Blocking and Removal of Infringing Content, Including Notice-and-Take-Down 475

5.5.5 Warning Systems 477

5.5.6 Notification to the Authorities 478

5.5.7 Choosing a Measure of Care 479

5.5.7.1 Implementing Measures of Care: Skills 481

5.5.7.2 Persistent Breach of Duty: Intent by Forbearance 481

5.6 Proportionate Remedies: Matching Fate to Fault 484

5.6.1 The General Rule of Solidary Liability 484

5.6.2 Possible Alternatives 486

5.6.2.1 Proportionate Liability in Negligence 487

5.6.2.2 A Principle of Subsidiarity 490

5.6.2.3 The Störerhaftung Solution 491

5.7 Defences 493

5.8 Conclusion 495

Chapter 6 Summary and Conclusion 499

6.1 The Current EU Framework 500

6.2 The National Regimes 502

6.3 The Elements of a European Accessory Liability 505

6.4 European Intermediary Accessory Copyright Liability 507

6.5 The Way Forward: Implementation into Law 511

6.6 Closing Remarks 516

Bibliography 519

Index 553