A group of Dutch artists has written to the European Parliament calling for better rules to govern the use of creative works online.

In an open letter to MEPs, the group claims artists, writers and musicians are missing out on billions of euros in compensation because websites such as Facebook refuse to compensate them, NOS reported.

‘Some of these platforms (Facebook, for example) use material without paying compensation to rights holders,’ the letter said. ‘These platforms, some of which have millions of users, earn a lot of money from advertising or the exploitation of users’ personal data using material we have created.’

The European Commission is currently working on new copyright legislation and is expected to come forward with a proposal in the autumn.