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Dear stakeholder,
We're writing to let you know about a Government policy statement on
modernising copyright published today, Monday 02 July 2012.
The document sets out Government policy on modernising copyright licensing
in light of the recent copyright consultation. The Government intends to
legislate through the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill currently
before Parliament to:
- allow schemes to be introduced for the commercial and non-commercial use
of 'orphan' copyright works and voluntary extended collective licensing of
copyright works, subject to a number of important safeguards, and
- to create a backstop power to require collecting societies to adopt codes
of conduct based on minimum standards.
The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill currently going through
Parliament, provides such an opportunity and the Government plans to lay
amendments to introduce these measures in the Committee Stage of the Bill.
Once the necessary legislation is in place, there will be further
consideration of the details of all these measures, generally through
consultation, before the final schemes are laid before Parliament for
approval.
Policy decisions on other issues covered by the consultation - including
the Government's plans to modernise copyright through changes to the UK's
copyright exceptions and the proposed copyright notices scheme - will be
set out in a subsequent document later this year. Announcements on other
work undertaken in response to the Hargreaves Review will be made
separately.
On a separate issue not covered by the policy statement, the Government
will take a power in the Bill to implement into UK law EU Directive
2011/77/EU on the term of protection for sound recordings, which was agreed
in Brussels in late 2011.
The policy statement document is accessible on the Intellectual Property
Office website:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/hargreaves.htm
Copyright Consultation Team
Intellectual Property Office
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*Jon Davies - Chief Executive Wikimedia UK*. Mobile (0044) 7803 505 169
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