Google, Meta, Spotify and Sony are challenging Belgium’s copyright “creator-pay” rules in the EU Court of Justice. The companies argue that Belgium’s implementation of the bloc’s copyright framework goes further than the EU’s 2019 Copyright Directive. According to the filings described by the outlets, the companies say the Belgian law changes who is eligible to receive payments and shifts how payments are negotiated and determined. They argue that, as a result, online platforms are pushed into licensing discussions and financial obligations that exceed what the directive intended when it set out the EU-wide approach to rights and remuneration. The companies ask the court to rein in how the Belgian rules operate, contending that Belgium has effectively rewritten key elements of the directive rather than applying it as intended. The challenge is therefore focused on whether Belgium’s measures are compatible with the EU directive and related EU copyright rules regarding the payment and management of creators’ rights.