Italy: Adopted Legislative Decree implementing EU DSM Directive including content remuneration

On 5 November 2021, the Council of Ministers approved the Legislative Decree 8 November 2021 n. 177, which transposes the EU DSM Copyright Directive. The Decree includes a new right for (online) press publishers to be fairly remunerated by introducing a link payment requirement, or « snippet tax ». The exclusive right consists in authorising or prohibiting the reproduction of their journalistic publications, published in any media, including on paper, in the context of an economic activity. In addition, the transposition of articles 18 and 19 of the DSM Copyright provides that authors and performers have the right to proportionate and appropriate remuneration for the transfer or licensing of their work. Furthermore, the directive guarantees that writers and performers who license or transfer their copyrights receive sufficient information on the usage of their works at least once a year. Authors and performers are required to be informed about how their work is being used, how much money is being made, and how much money is owed to them.