LACA and CILIP actively support the Government endorsed recommendations for copyright reform outlined in the 2011 Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property. This page includes letters, press releases and briefings relating to the implementation of these recommendations.
Letter to the IPO about the repeal of Section 52
(December 2015)
LACA and Universities UK wrote to Dr Ros Lynch, Copyright and IP Enforcement Director at the IPO, to express concerns about the impact on of the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright Designs and Patents on libraries and archives.
Letter to IP Minister about Orphan Works Licensing Scheme
(March 2015)
LACA wrote to Baroness Neville-Rolfe asking her to look into whether photographs in which copyright has expired, or works which are Bona Vacantia, are being erroneously licensed as incopyright works by BIS / the Intellectual Property Office.
Mass Digitisation and New Online Innovation – letter about ECL
(May 2014)
In a letter to Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, LACA sets out its disappointment with the Government’s response to the consultation on draft secondary legislation for extended collective licensing (ECL) schemes.
“We understand from the report that ECL will not support mass digitisation in the way we need, due to the overly short duration of the licence that is being proposed. We believe that the proposed initial 5 year licence, which will then require a renewal, will deter businesses and/or public sector funding bodies from investing in our mass digitisation projects, particularly as they will be paying for licences to collecting societies to digitise and make available on the internet hundreds of thousands / millions of commercially unavailable materials, for such a limited period, and which will then require further investment for the renewal licence”.
See also:
Digital delays – letter to Dr Vince Cable
(March 2014)
A letter urging the Government to act swiftly to implement key reforms to copyright legislation, which was signed by over 50 organisations, was sent to Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on March 25th 2014.
Reduction of term in certain unpublished text based works
(February 2014)
In a letter to Lord Younger, Minister for Intellectual Property, LACA calls for the provisions outlined in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act (ERRA) 2013 relating to the reduction of term in certain unpublished text based works from the end of 2039 to lifetime plus 70 years, to be implemented in 2014.
Delaying implementation until April 2015 would be particularly problematic as many organisations wish to make accessible wartime unpublished text based works which are still within scope of copyright protection, either as copies or displaying the works themselves, as part of the First World War Centenary.
Letter in The Times
(December 2013)
A letter supporting the new copyright exceptions, signed by LACA and 12 other bodies, including CILIP, The British Library, the Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK, was published in the Times on December 16th.
(The full letter is behind a paywall.)
Copyright exceptions
(December 2013)
In a letter to Lord Younger, Minister for Intellectual Property, LACA sets out its support for the proposed new copyright exceptions.
LACA met with Lord Younger on December 3rd to discuss the important and much needed copyright reform agenda. This letter was sent ahead of that meeting.
LACA also prepared a briefing for Peers ahead of a House of Lords debate on the exceptions, held on December 5th.
The new exceptions are of vital importance to not-for-profit libraries and archives, helping them serve their patrons more effectively, reduce costs and overheads, thereby leading to greater efficiency, innovation and improved research.
The implementation of the proposed Orphan Works licensing scheme
(September 2013)
In a letter to Lord Younger, Minister for Intellectual Property, LACA sets out its concerns with the proposed Orphan Works licensing scheme.
LACA 