Battle over EU copyright law heads for showdown

Brussels to vote on directive, supported by artists and news agencies, that opponents say could 'destroy the internet'

It is an argument that has drawn in Paul McCartney, Spanish tenor Plicido Domingo and the Vienna Philharmonic, as well as pioneers of the internet from Tim Berners-Lee to the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales.

Fought with hashtags, mailshots, open letters and celebrity endorsements, the battle over the European Union's draft directive on copyright heads for a showdown this week.