COPYRIGHT ON USER-GENERATED CONTENT PLATFORMS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF UNITED STATES AND EUROPEAN UNION REGULATIONS
Keywords:
User-Generated Content, Copyright, Fair Use, Digital Single Market Directive, Social MediaAbstract
In the digital era, User-Generated Content (UGC) has given rise to new legal debates in the field of copyright law with the widespread use of social media platforms. The creation of content through the transformation or reuse of third-party copyrighted works by users necessitates a delicate balance between the rights of copyright holders and the freedoms of expression and creativity. This study examines the principal legal issues surrounding copyright protection on UGC platforms, focusing on licensing mechanisms, platform liability, and the legal uncertainties arising from digital content sharing. Within this framework, it provides a comparative analysis of the Fair Use Doctrine and the Safe Harbor regime under United States law, alongside the Digital Single Market (DSM) Directive of the European Union. The analysis demonstrates that the U.S. legal framework adopts a more flexible approach that promotes user creativity, whereas the EU framework strengthens copyright protection by imposing more extensive obligations on online platforms. It is concluded that establishing a balanced legal framework that effectively reconciles the protection of copyright holders with users' creative freedom is essential to ensuring the sustainability of the digital content economy.
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