Intellectual property rule changes were mooted in the wake of Brexit but have been shelved after warnings about how this could hit writers’ incomes.
Change the UK’s copyright laws could be “devastating” for writers
The government has halted its plans after authors such as Kate Mosse and Philip Pullman warned that proposed changes to the UK’s copyright laws may be “devastating” for writers.
Last summer, the Intellectual Property Office published a consultation on UK copyright following Brexit. Writers and publishers were concerned that changing the “copyright exhaustion” law, which governs when a rights holder’s control over the distribution of their property expires, would result in a flood of low-cost international versions of books.
“Authors may lose this valuable capacity to sell their work abroad and be fairly compensated,” Pullman warned at the time, while Mosse added that “if we don’t ensure writers are valued for their work, many will be compelled to leave the profession, and Britain’s cultural environment will suffer greatly.”
The government has recently indicated that it has been unable to evaluate the economic impact of any alternatives to the current framework due to a lack of available data, and will therefore keep the UK’s current regulations on intellectual property rights exhausted.
The Publishers Association’s Save Our Books campaign was ecstatic to hear the news. “We are delighted that the government has chosen to maintain the UK’s gold standard copyright regime, which is the foundation of our world-leading creative industries, and that ministers have listened to authors, readers, and the wider industry about the risks of any change,” said PA chief executive Stephen Lotinga. “I am grateful to our Save Our Books campaign partners, MPs, and members of the public who collaborated to present our case to the government.” I’m sure everyone will be relieved to be able to return to doing what they do best for the time being — getting wonderful books into the hands of readers.”
The administration, on the other hand, stated that it “remains dedicated to examining the opportunities that may arise from a change in the regime,” which the PA regarded as a source of concern.
“The data is clear: any weakening of our intellectual property rules would be disastrous for UK innovators,” Lotinga said.
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