European Union Agrees to New Copyright Law

Tech platforms would be liable for violations, while news publishers would be able to negotiate licenses with Google and others

Valentina Pop,

Sam Schechner and

Keach Hagey

Feb. 13, 2019 6:41 p.m. ET

BRUSSELS—The European Union agreed on a new copyright law aimed at reining in tech giants and throwing a lifeline to news publishers.

The Wednesday deal comes after months of opposition and lobbying from internet giants and open-internet activists that led to a stalemate among EU governments.

Two controversial parts of the draft bill held...