United Kingdom proposes to modernise copyright

Following the ‘Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth’ and the response of the British government to this report, the government started a consultation on Wednesday 14th December.  This consultation is part of a wider programme of work from the government, which includes actions against online copyright infringement and encourages the creation of copyright protected works.

The British government agrees with the Hargreveas Review that it is necessary to adjust intellectual property legislation to new forms of technology, innovation and creativity. It hereby hopes to support economic growth through modernisation of intellectual property legislation.

The proposal includes the following points:

• Developing licensing and clearance procedures for orphan works,
• Extending the exception on copyright for non-commercial research, by allowing data mining,
• Introducing provisions on ‘extended collective licensing’ (ECL). This will allow ‘collecting societies’ to license on behalf of rights holders. This would make it easier to get permission to use copyrighted works and help ensure rights holders get rewarded,
• Introducing exceptions on copyright for parody and pastiche, to give comedians  creative freedom,
• An exception to allow limited acts of private copying, for example to make a copy from a CD to an MP3 player,
• Modernising the exceptions on copyright, including those for education, quotation and people with disabilities.

The British government encourages businesses to contribute to the consultation. The consultation will close on 21 March 2012.

Read the full response of the British government here:

Reference: IPO
 
By: Deniece Teterissa