The EU's incoming Digital Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has announced a proposal for an EU-wide copyright and tax on intellectual property, Handelsblatt reports. After determining intellectual property and what rights can be established for artists, the copyright usage fee should then not only be paid by European users but also by US companies. "If Google takes intellectual property from the EU and makes use of it, the EU can protect this property and demand that Google pay for it," Oettinger said. At present, copyright in Europe is regulated on a national level. The new European Commission under Jean-Claude Juncker has named one of its focus areas creating a Europe-wide digital market and with it more growth and jobs.
