EU committee votes down on copyright compromise

A European Union parliamentary committee has voted down drastic changes to proposed rules to marry copyright legislation with the internet.

The group has resisted heavy pressure from the entertainment industry to introduce levies on copying music from the internet.

Members of the European Parliament's legal and internal market committee rejected most of the 200 amendments in a voting session lasting just an hour.

Committee members were lobbied hard by both the entertainment industry and their opponents among educators, consumer groups and telecommunications companies who are anxious to avoid a blanket pay-per-view approach to online resources.

"This is a directive we have been dealing with for an awfully long time," said Italian politician Enrico Bosselli, who authored the compromise report. "It was difficult to strike a balance with so many interests involved here."

The report now goes back to the 626-member EU assembly for a second reading next week.