The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched a 'call for views' (12-page / 153KB PDF) in a bid to find out whether businesses believe EU copyright laws need to be altered so as to ensure they are "keeping pace with technological development". The IPO said the answers it receives would help inform how it should respond to the issue.
In 2011 the European Commission outlined a new strategy on intellectual property in which it laid out its plans for establishing a "comprehensive framework for copyright in the digital single market".
It outlined plans to develop "a European framework for online copyright licensing", make it easier for individuals to make use of copyrighted works within their own user-generated content, and form a harmonised approach to levies owed to rights holders to account for private copying of their material, among other proposals.
Work has subsequently begun on moving towards reforms in some of these, and other, areas of the copyright framework. The IPO has asked businesses for their views on what is happening and what they believe can be done to establish a full single market in relation to copyright law.
"Developments at the European level can have a major impact on what happens in the UK in relation to copyright," the IPO said in its consultation. "Apart from issues formally on the table, such as the draft Collective Rights Management Directive, a number of other issues are being discussed in Brussels, which might lead to formal proposals. The UK is a net exporter of copyright content and the government needs to ensure that our industries have the right European framework to thrive. Equally, the UK wants to ensure that the copyright framework is supportive of growth for the UK economy as a whole at a time of rapid technological change and business innovation."
"In order to develop our thinking on how best to respond to this debate, we have brought together a number of questions on the European copyright framework and areas that have been highlighted by the European Commission for further action. We are inviting your views, as well as any supporting evidence you may have, so that we can understand the impact that potential changes to the European copyright framework might have. We will use your views and evidence to develop the UK’s position on these issues, as well as to finalise our research programme in this area," it said.
The IPO's call for views is open until to 11 October.
The UK Government has already outlined a number of draft changes to UK copyright laws on rules relating to exceptions to copyright. A new online Copyright Hub is also currently being piloted as a means for facilitating licensing of copyrighted works.
