2022-11-302022/23:NU6 · p.5NUBusiness & energy
Choice of Law Rules
Choice-of-law rules for transfer of copyright in the implementation of the DSM Directive
What's at stake: If authors' right to compensation can be circumvented by making contracts subject to foreign law, Swedish and European authors and companies that follow the rules risk being put at a disadvantage compared with actors - for example in the video-on-demand sector - that rely on foreign legislation. The issue therefore affects both individual authors' compensation and the industry's competitive conditions.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the government should investigate the need for mandatory choice-of-law rules or other measures to stop foreign companies from using contracts governed by foreign law to circumvent the Swedish rules on authors' right to reasonable compensation, or whether the rules now being implemented are sufficient.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee stands behind the government's proposal for implementing the copyright directive without introducing special choice-of-law rules, and rejects the motion calling for an inquiry into mandatory choice-of-law rules or other measures against circumvention.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 4 (V, MP)
The reservation (V, MP) calls for the government to investigate the need for mandatory choice-of-law rules or other measures to ensure that the rules on authors' right to reasonable compensation are not circumvented. The reasoning is that foreign companies, for example in the video-on-demand sector, often require that foreign (e.g. US) law apply to contracts, which risks putting Swedish and European companies that follow the directive's rules at a competitive disadvantage.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 4 by V, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/21/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| S | No | Yes 92/0/0/15 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/15/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| C | No | Yes 19/0/0/5 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| L | No | Yes 14/0/0/2 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 16/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| M | Yes | Yes 58/0/0/10 | follows the plan | confidence: low | derived |
| SD | No | Yes 63/0/0/10 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects motion 2022/23:27 by Elin Söderberg and Amanda Lind (both MP) amendment 3.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motion 2022/23:27 av Elin Söderberg och Amanda Lind (båda MP) yrkande 3.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag approved the government's proposal for amendments to, among other things, the Copyright Act. The proposals are based on an EU directive and contain new rules concerning adapting copyright to digital development. As digital technology enables new forms of use of copyright-protected material, Swedish copyright legislation needs to be modernized. The government's proposal includes, among other things, limitations on copyright to facilitate education and research, but also so that cultural heritage can be preserved. In addition, it includes new provisions allowing free reproduction of older works of art. The proposal also means that news companies can receive compensation when their material is reused on the internet. There are also new provisions regulating liability when users themselves upload material on various digital platforms. Providers of these services and platforms shall enter into agreements with rights holders who wish to do so, but shall also be obligated to take action when material is uploaded against the wishes of the rights holder. Finally, a number of rules are introduced to strengthen the contractual position of authors when they transfer their rights to publishers, producers, newspapers or other actors on the copyright market. The legislative amendments enter into force on 1 January 2023.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants the wording in the copyright law to be changed to align with the EU directive. (V, MP) — Reservation 4
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan carries the commitment that nationally decided conditions should not be able to be circumvented by foreign companies and contract structures, and wants to break market power's grip on the internet and culture in favour of independent culture.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan carries the commitment that nationally decided conditions should not be able to be circumvented by foreign companies and contract structures, and wants to break market power's grip on the internet and culture in favour of independent culture. Mandatory choice-of-law rules that prevent authors' rights to compensation from being contracted away are in line with this.
Original (Swedish)
Planen bär åtagandet att nationellt beslutade villkor inte ska kunna kringgås av utländska bolag och avtalskonstruktioner, och vill bryta marknadsmaktens grepp om internet och kultur till förmån för den oberoende kulturen. Tvingande lagvalsregler som hindrar att upphovsmäns rätt till ersättning avtalas bort ligger i linje med detta.
- Swedish rules must not be circumventeddecisive»Vänsterpartiet arbetar för att nationellt träffade centrala kollektivavtal« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party works for nationally agreed central collective agreements”
- break market power over culture»Marknadsmakten har ett starkt grepp om Internet, tv och kultur.« (party programme ↗)“Market power has a strong grip on the internet, TV and culture.”
- independent culture»Vänsterpartiet försvarar den oberoende kulturen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party defends independent culture.”
The plan guards artistic copyright and that artists shall have real opportunities to support themselves from their work.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan guards artistic copyright and that artists shall have real opportunities to support themselves from their work. That foreign companies can contractually opt out of the right to reasonable compensation undermines this commitment, why an investigation of mandatory conflict of law rules is supported. The plan also establishes that companies' freedom in the internal market shall not go at the expense of fundamental rights.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår vakt om den konstnärliga upphovsrätten och om att konstnärer ska ha reella möjligheter att försörja sig av sitt arbete. Att utländska bolag kan avtala bort rätten till skälig ersättning undergräver detta åtagande, varför en utredning om tvingande lagvalsregler stöds. Planen slår också fast att företagens frihet på den inre marknaden inte får gå ut över grundläggande rättigheter.
- value copyrightdecisive»En viktig del av detta är att slå vakt om den konstnärliga upphovsrätten.« (party programme ↗)“An important part of this is to guard artistic copyright.”
- conditions for artists»Samhället ska stödja kulturlivet och ge konstnärer inom alla konstarter reella möjligheter att utvecklas och att möta sin publik.« (party programme ↗)“Society shall support cultural life and give artists in all art forms real opportunities to develop and to meet their audience.”
- vibrant cultural life»Sverige ska ha ett levande, fritt och obundet kulturliv som både stärker samhörigheten och utmanar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall have a living, free and independent cultural life that both strengthens togetherness and challenges.”
- internal market needs rules»Företagens frihet på den inre marknaden får emellertid aldrig ske på bekostnad av principerna om likabehandling av arbetstagare och om ekonomisk, social och miljömässig hållbarhet.« (party programme ↗)“Companies' freedom in the internal market shall however never occur at the expense of principles of equal treatment of employees and of economic, social and environmental sustainability.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan states that creators shall have the right to fair compensation and that creators' economic conditions shall be improved through modernized copyright.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that creators shall have the right to fair compensation and that creators' economic conditions shall be improved through modernized copyright. If foreign companies can contractually waive the right to fair compensation, that commitment is hollowed out, which supports examining mandatory choice-of-law rules. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's demand.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att upphovsmän ska ha rätt till en rimlig ersättning och att kulturskaparnas ekonomiska villkor ska förbättras genom en moderniserad upphovsrätt. Om utländska bolag kan avtala bort rätten till skälig ersättning urholkas just det åtagandet, vilket talar för att tvingande lagvalsregler utreds. Planen stöder därför motförslagets krav.
- fair compensation to creatorsdecisive»upphovsmän ska ha rätt till en rimlig ersättning.« (party programme ↗)“creators shall have the right to fair compensation.”
- strengthened creator conditions»förbättra kulturskaparnas ekonomiska och sociala villkor och modernisera upphovsrätten så att kulturskaparnas rättigheter värnas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“improve creators' economic and social conditions and modernize copyright so that creators' rights are protected.”
- modernized copyright»Miljöpartiet de gröna vill se en upphovsrättslagstiftning, anpassad till dagens samhälle« (party programme ↗)“The Green Party wants to see copyright legislation adapted to today's society”
The plan states that copyright must affirm and reward creativity and that creators' remuneration must be secured when technology changes conditions.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that copyright must affirm and reward creativity and that creators' remuneration must be secured when technology changes conditions. It also requires competition-neutral rules for business. The counter-proposal's demand to investigate binding rules of law so that the right to fair remuneration is not circumvented by foreign companies follows from both these commitments.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att upphovsrätten ska bejaka och belöna skaparkraften och att upphovsmännens ersättning måste säkras när tekniken förändrar villkoren. Den kräver också konkurrensneutrala regelverk för näringslivet. Motförslagets krav på att utreda tvingande lagvalsregler så att rätten till skälig ersättning inte kringgås av utländska bolag följer av båda dessa åtaganden.
- remuneration to creatorsdecisive»Upphovsrätten måste bejaka och belöna skaparkraften« (party programme ↗)“Copyright must affirm and reward creativity”
- competition-neutral rules»Viktigt är också att näringslivet får konkurrensneutrala regelverk« (party programme ↗)“Also important is that business gets competition-neutral rules”
- free culture and artistic freedom»Den akademiska och konstnärliga friheten liksom den fria kulturen är grundbultar i ett vitalt civilsamhälle.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Academic and artistic freedom and free culture are cornerstones of a vital civil society.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan establishes that copyright must be adapted to new technology and new distribution forms and that cultural creators' right over their works is a precondition for cultural freedom.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that copyright must be adapted to new technology and new distribution forms and that cultural creators' right over their works is a precondition for cultural freedom. To investigate whether choice-of-law rules are needed to ensure that the right to fair compensation is not circumvented aligns with this and with the requirement for good terms for artistic creation. The plan's principle of mutual recognition within the internal market meanwhile cautions towards binding special rules.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att upphovsrätten måste anpassas till ny teknik och nya distributionsformer och att kulturskaparnas rätt över sina verk är en förutsättning för kulturens frihet. Att utreda om lagvalsregler behövs för att rätten till skälig ersättning inte ska kringgås ligger i linje med det och med kravet på goda villkor för konstnärligt skapande. Planens princip om ömsesidigt erkännande inom den inre marknaden manar samtidigt till försiktighet med tvingande särregler.
- adapted copyrightdecisive»Upphovsrätten måste dock anpassas till ny teknik och nya distributionsformer.« (party programme ↗)“Copyright must, however, be adapted to new technology and new distribution forms.”
- cultural creators' right to their works»Kulturskaparnas rätt att bestämma över sina verk är en« (party programme ↗)“Cultural creators' right to determine over their works is a”
- good terms for cultural creators»skapande av hög kvalitet ska ha goda villkor.« (party programme ↗)“creation of high quality shall have good terms.”
- mutual recognition in the EU»respekt för den inre marknadens grundläggande princip om ömsesidigt erkännande av varandras regler.« (party programme ↗)“respect for the internal market's fundamental principle of mutual recognition of each other's rules.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The counter-proposal wants to investigate mandatory choice-of-law rules so that creators' right to fair compensation is not circumvented through agreements on foreign law.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to investigate mandatory choice-of-law rules so that creators' right to fair compensation is not circumvented through agreements on foreign law. The plan establishes that the right to property is a human right and that the exclusive right to exploit an intellectual achievement shall be protected, and that market economy requires effective legal rules. Closing a circumvention possibility thus aligns with the plan, which does not address the Copyright Directive directly.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill utreda tvingande lagvalsregler så att upphovsmäns rätt till skälig ersättning inte kringgås genom avtal om utländsk rätt. Planen slår fast att rätten till egendom är en mänsklig rättighet och att ensamrätten att utnyttja en intellektuell prestation ska skyddas, och att marknadsekonomin kräver effektiva rättsliga spelregler. Att stänga en kringgåendemöjlighet ligger därför i linje med planen, som inte behandlar upphovsrättsdirektivet direkt.
- exclusive right to intellectual achievementdecisive»Det handlar om ensamrätt att utnyttja en intellektuell« (party programme ↗)“It is about the exclusive right to exploit an intellectual”
- property rights as rights»Rätten till egendom är en mänsklig rättighet och« (party programme ↗)“The right to property is a human right and”
- effective legal rules»effektiva rättsliga spelregler« (party programme ↗)“effective legal rules”
- good conditions for the arts»Det offentliga har ansvar för att konstarterna får« (party programme ↗)“The public has a responsibility to provide”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan's main EU legal rule is that directives shall be implemented at minimum level and that over-implementation shall be counteracted, while regulatory red tape for companies shall decrease significantly.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's main EU legal rule is that directives shall be implemented at minimum level and that over-implementation shall be counteracted, while regulatory red tape for companies shall decrease significantly. To investigate mandatory Swedish choice-of-law rules beyond the directive pulls in the opposite direction. The plan provides strong protection for property rights, but that is not sufficient to justify national special rules, and the demand is rejected.
Original (Swedish)
Planens EU-rättsliga huvudregel är att direktiv ska genomföras på miniminivå och att överimplementering ska motverkas, samtidigt som regelkrånglet för företagen ska minska kraftigt. Att utreda tvingande svenska lagvalsregler utöver direktivet går i motsatt riktning. Planen ger starkt skydd för äganderätten, men det räcker inte för att motivera nationella särregler, och kravet avvisas.
- implementation at minimum leveldecisive»Minska regelkrånglet och onödig byråkrati, bland annat genom att motverka överimplementering i Sverige av EU-beslut – som huvudregel ska EU-direktiv genomföras på miniminivå« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce regulatory red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, including by counteracting over-implementation in Sweden of EU decisions - as a general rule, EU directives shall be implemented at minimum level”
- reduced regulatory burden»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove a third of companies' administrative costs and a third of regulatory red tape”
- strong property rights»Äganderätten och näringsfriheten ska ha ett starkt skydd i« (party programme ↗)“Property rights and business freedom shall have strong protection in”
flags: citat_migrerat
The counter-proposal wants to investigate mandatory choice-of-law rules so that foreign companies do not circumvent copyright owners' right to fair compensation by demanding foreign law in contracts.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to investigate mandatory choice-of-law rules so that foreign companies do not circumvent copyright owners' right to fair compensation by demanding foreign law in contracts. The plan wants to adapt outdated copyright rules to the digital society, protect Swedish interests and strengthen national self-determination, which argues for Swedish law to apply to Swedish copyright owners. The plan does not address the choice-of-law issue directly.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill utreda tvingande lagvalsregler så att utländska bolag inte kringgår upphovsmäns rätt till skälig ersättning genom att kräva utländsk rätt i avtal. Planen vill anpassa föråldrade upphovsrättsregler till det digitala samhället, värna svenska intressen och stärka det nationella självbestämmandet, vilket talar för att svensk rätt ska gälla svenska upphovsmän. Planen behandlar inte lagvalsfrågan direkt.
- modernized copyrightdecisive»Föråldrade regler om upphovsrätt behöver också anpassas efter hur människor konsumerar och skapar innehåll i det digitala samhället.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Outdated rules on copyright also need to be adapted to how people consume and create content in the digital society.”
- national self-determination»Stärka det nationella självbestämmandet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen national self-determination”
- Swedish interests in agreements»Värna svenska intressen i frihandelsavtal« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect Swedish interests in free trade agreements”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2022/23:NU6)
- Committee report full text (HA01NU6)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2022/23:20 — med anledning av prop. 2021/22:278 Upphovsrätten på den digitala inre marknaden av Lorena Delgado Varas m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:27 — med anledning av prop. 2021/22:278 Upphovsrätten på den digitala inre marknaden av Elin Söderberg och Amanda Lind (båda MP)
- Proposition 2021/22:278 — Upphovsrätten på den digitala inre marknaden
Source: The Swedish Parliament