News story

Modernising copyright to help strengthen contribution to growth

Government has announced new legislative measures to update and strengthen the UK鈥檚 copyright licensing system.

From:
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and The Rt Hon Norman Lamb
Published
2 July 2012
This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

2 Jul 2012

New clauses will be included in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (ERR) Bill to:

  • Allow the creation of a future 鈥榦rphan works鈥� scheme to open access to valuable material that currently can鈥檛 be licensed or used
  • Put in place a voluntary regime for extending collective licensing to help reduce complexities in the system
  • Reserve a power to introduce statutory codes of conduct for collecting societies if they fail to operate to minimum standards.

Government also plans to introduce a power to implement a recent EU Directive on the term of protection for sound recordings in a way that keeps the UK鈥檚 current strong criminal penalties for copyright infringement.

Business Minister Norman Lamb said:

鈥淚t is vital that we make the most of our creative industries, boosting their contribution to the economy while ensuring protection of the rights holders. The copyright licensing system has been behind the times and we need to modernise and make it fit for the 21st century.

鈥淭he measures we plan to introduce as soon as possible would make it easier for those seeking access to, and use of, copyrighted works. Freeing up so-called 鈥榦rphan works鈥� will allow use of works for the first time, making the most of untapped economic and creative potential. Extending licensing arrangements for collective societies, whilst ensuring rights holders are protected, will also help maximise the benefit for the UK鈥檚 world-class creative industries.鈥�

Government developed these measures in response to recommendations from the . The draft clauses will be published shortly, and will be subject to scrutiny as part of the ERR Bill鈥檚 progress through Parliament.

Harnessing the value and making the most of the UK鈥檚 intellectual property is a vital element of a vibrant and modern economy. The measures outlined today will form an important part of the Government鈥檚 growth strategy, the , making sure the UK is one of the best places to start, finance and grow a business.

  • Intellectual Property Office

Updates to this page

Published 2 July 2012