You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Publishers have called on politicians to support proposals to punish persistent illegal filesharers with internet suspension to ensure the economic strength of the UK.
Speaking to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Publishing at the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday (4th November), HarperCollins c.e.o. Victoria Barnsley urged both ministers and lords to support plans to safeguard copyright. The proposals were put forward last week by the business secretary Lord Mandelson. She said: "Anything which falls short of what the government proposes in the forthcoming Digital Economy Bill will jeopardise not just one industry, but a whole sector."
Barnsley highlighted the importance of the industries that were reliant on copyright to the UK’s economy. "It’s no exaggeration to state that copyright is central to the UK’s economic recovery," she said. "By the same token, the enforcement of copyright is essentially important." She also stressed the various efforts put into place by the creative industries to curb piracy already, by ensuring consumers had access to the formats and content they wanted. "We, as publishers, are playing our part but we need the government to play its part too. We need your help in combating the piracy that threatens our future."
Simon Juden, chief executive of the Publishers Association, told the all-party group that it was "critically important, now more than ever" that policymakers listened to rights-holders about their concerns. But he warned that it would be a "mistake" to think that all creative industries were alike. He added: "It would be dangerous for policymakers to treat them the same. Developments across the creative sector are far from synchronised."
To rally support for the cause, the PA gave out copies of a report on the sector (downloadable from the link below). Juden said he hoped it conveyed "some of the dynamism and diversity" associated with the publishing sector.