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Digital Copyright Exchange- call for evidence

Published by Sarah Fahmy on January 12, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

What is the Digital Copyright Exchange?

The Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth recommended that:

“In order to boost UK firms’ access to transparent, contestable and global digital markets, the UK should establish a cross sectoral Digital Copyright Exchange… A range of incentives and disincentives will be needed to encourage rights holders and others to take part. Governance should reflect the interests of participants, working to an agreed code of practice.”

In its Response, the Government has stated that it wants to see a DCE, or something like it, to speed up copyright licensing and thus enable new business opportunities.

Brief History

  • April 2010 – The Digital Economy Act receives Royal Assent.
  • November 2010 – Prime Minister David Cameron announces an independent review of how the Intellectual Property framework supports growth and innovation.
  • May 2011 – Professor Ian Hargreaves published his Independent review of IP & growth including 10 recommendations. One of which is for the creation of the world’s first Digital Copyright Exchange.
  • August 2011 – The Government publishes its response to the Hargreaves review which accepts all ten of Professor Hargreaves’ recommendations. The Government’s goal is to have measures in place by the end of this Parliament
  • November 2011 – Richard Hooper is appointed by the Government to conduct a feasibility study on implementing a Digital Copyright Exchange in the UK. The purpose of the exchange, which was first proposed in the Hargreaves Review of IP and Growth last May, would be to allow content users to license copyrighted material from rights-holders simply and transparently through an online platform.

What are the benefits of the Digital Copyright Exchange?

It is hoped that this will make it easier for rights owners, small and large, to sell licences in their work and for others to buy them. It will make market transactions faster, more automated and cheaper. The result will be a UK market in digital copyright which is better informed and more readily capable of resolving disputes without costly litigation.

How will the Digital Copyright Exchange be implemented?

Richard Hooper has been tasked with conducting a feasibility study on implementing a DCE. The study will be done in two phases. Phase 1 is diagnostic, looking at what are the issues surrounding copyright licensing in and for the digital age. Phase 2 will examine and recommend the range of potential solutions to any issues found.

The study is currently in phase 1. Richard is meeting with a range of stakeholders interested in the Digital Copyright Exchange idea, and he has put together a number of events where he can talk specifically to digital startups who act (or are trying to act) as content licensees.

Essential to the process are detailed, productive and candid discussions about the issues startups currently face in licensing matters and how a digital exchange could help address those.

Where can I find the Call for Evidence? 

The Call for Evidence document available on the IPO website.

Made in Digital Britain/ UK

Published by Sarah Fahmy on January 10, 2012 in Audience, Business models, Public information and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Stuart Dempster, Director of the Strategic Content Alliance, writes on the potential for a national brand on UK-created or originated digital content

Could lessons from the past help deliver economic growth and enhance online reputational value for content creators contributing to the ‘digital economy’ in the UK today? Could a ‘Made in Digital Britain/UK’ help us demonstrate quality and value in a global market? Sure terms like ‘Britain’ and ‘UK’ are politically loaded terms it seems these days, but the variants cited above may provide a way in which either ‘UK PLC’ or the home nations could express their digital offer in a more compelling way.

 As we enter the second decade of the Digital Revolution, we see a propensity of policy and strategy reports highlighting the UK’s credentials for innovation and entrepreneurship through the exploitation of digital technologies, alongside disappointingly numerous impact and quality initiatives. Many of these originate from publicly funded agencies, all keen to stress their digital credentials. Yet, a simple ‘tag’ – graphic, metadata or other expression of ‘Made in Digital Britain/UK’ might help us stress the UK ’s unique contribution to this digital revolution in an increasing complex and cluttered online market.

Politicians and other policy makers might begin to see the ‘value proposition’ of digital content, whether it be games, multimedia or other assets being generated at an extraordinary rate in the UK as a measureable and valuable contribution towards a truly digital economy. This may be considered a ‘jingoistic’ or somehow part of a ‘new imperialism’, but if the UK is to succeed in this new paradigm and adopt affordable solutions to market its unique skills, expertise and knowledge in a global market, then perhaps the lessons of the 19th century might help inform the opportunities of the 21st century.

Needless to say, the term ‘Made in Digital Britain/UK’ (or home nation variants) might be applied selectively in the first instance to digital content originating from ‘assured suppliers’ in the public and private sectors perhaps? We would want this ‘trusted’ identifier to be considered the modern day equivalent to today’s ‘Rolls Royce’ rather than yesterdays ‘British Leyland’ in terms of international reputation.

We could envisage a raft of reasons why this tactic might be misguided, impossible to instigate or plain wrong, but just how many meetings, conferences or other resource intensive activity on ‘impact’ or ‘quality’ will we have to endure before we can offer the world a ‘trusted’ identifier that marks out what is truly ‘unique, valuable and difficult to emulate’ from the British (English, Northern Irish, Scottish or Welsh perhaps) digital offer.

Video event report: Building Digital Capacity Seminar: Creative use of archives

Published by Michelle Pauli on November 9, 2011 in Collaborative content, Events, Uncategorized and Videos. 0 Comments

As part of the BBC Academy and Arts Council England joint Building Digital Capacity programme, the SCA was very pleased to participate in its creative use of archive workshop. It focused on how to share existing archive content with an audience on a digital platform and explored new ways of engaging audiences with archive content.

The seminar, aimed at arts organisations and artists from across England, drew on a mixture of arts sector case studies and discussions about the many opportunities and issues associated with archive content.

Speakers included:

  • Roly Keating, Director of Archive Content, BBC
  • Andrew Nairne, Executive Director Arts, Arts Council England
  • Dr Paul Gerhardt, Digital Archives Associate for Arts Council England, Archives for Creativity
  • Professor Sarah Whatley, Professor of Dance, Coventry University
  • Cassandra Carias, Senior Associate, Harbottle & Lewis LLP
  • Naomi Korn, IP Consultant
  • Siobhan Davis, Siobhan Davis Studios

Get a flavour of the day from the videos below, which feature interviews with the SCA’s Sarah Fahmy, Stuart Dempster and Naomi Korn as well as many of the other speakers and participants in the event.

Expert view: creative use of archive:

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Seminar highlights:

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IP tips for creating digital archives:

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New: Maximising online effectiveness

Published by Michelle Pauli on April 6, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Maximising online resource effectiveness is a new section on the SCA blog dedicated to reports, guides and case studies that summarise the key principles in this increasingly important area and present a condensed version of the highly successful series of workshops commissioned by the Strategic Content Alliance and undertaken by JISC Netskills in 2010.

Find out more at Maximising online resource effectiveness

JISC comments on European draft out-of-commerce works principles

Published by Michelle Pauli on March 24, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

JISC has commented on the European Commission’s draft Key Principles on the Digitisation and Making Available of Out-of-Commerce Works, ahead of a ’stakeholder dialogue’ meeting on March 25.

The substantive points are below, marked in italic, and the comments can be read in full: JISC’s comments on draft Key Principles on the Digitisation and Making Available of Out-of-Commerce Works

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Wellcome Library joins SCA

Published by Michelle Pauli on February 28, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Academic research receives a boost this week as the JISC-led Strategic Content Alliance announces the Wellcome Library joins its board.

The Wellcome Library is one of the world’s major resources for the study of medical history and provides access to a growing collection of contemporary biomedical information resources relating to consumer health, popular science, biomedical ethics and the public understanding of science.

Stuart Dempster, project director of the JISC-led Strategic Content Alliance says: “The expertise and knowledge from the Wellcome Library will strengthen our work in bringing publicly funded content online. The IPR issues around the sensitive nature of scientific and medical images which the Wellcome Library manages will boost our ability to provide best practice advice and guidance for UK colleges and universities.”

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Alliance welcomes “Digital Public Space” concept

Published by Stuart Dempster on November 2, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The Alliance welcomes the “Digital Public Space” concept cited in today’s Guardian interview with Tony Ageh, Controller of the BBC Archive. We see an opportunity for the UK to strengthen its digital offer through effective partnerships in the public, not-for-profit and commercial sectors and the DPS has the potential to build such partnerships.

Event report: Jeremy Hunt on the ‘digital future’ at Media Festival Arts

Published by Michelle Pauli on September 13, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Jeremy Hunt, Minister for Department of Culture Media and Sport, spoke at the Media Festival Arts at the Roundhouse, London, on 9th September 2010 on the future for digital. Sarah Fahmy reports.

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Resources: Digital Economy Act and copyright infringement briefing

Published by Michelle Pauli on June 29, 2010 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Today the British Library, JISC and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) are holding a briefing on the Digital Economy Act and the potential ramifications of the copyright infringement clauses for public sector organisations.

The speakers include:

  • Robert Day, IT Manager, Cambridgeshire Libraries
  • Robin Fry, Independent Legal Counsel
  • Naomi Korn, IP Consultant
  • Simon Milner, Director, Group Industry Policy, BT
  • Professor Charles Oppenheim, Loughborough University
  • Peter Tinson, UCISA
  • Saskia Walzel, Policy Advocate, Consumer Focus

The numbers of attendees at the briefing had to be limited but, for those who could not attend, and for those who did and need a refresher, the presentations from the briefing are available below. Podcast interviews with the speakers will also be available within a week or so – watch this space.

Presentations

Robert Day’s presentation, DEA Briefing 29 June 2010

Robin Fry’s presentation, DEA Briefing 29 June 2010

Charles Oppenheim’s presentation, DEA Briefing 29 June 2010

Peter Tinson’s presentation, DEA Briefing 29 June 2010

Consumer Focus presentation, DEA Briefing, 29 June 2010

Naomi Korn’s presentation, DEA Briefing, 29 June 2010

Further information

MLA DEA Briefing document

British Library: Copyright for Education & Research report (PDF)

Consumer Focus: Guide to Ofcom’s initial obligations code (PDF)

Spanish version: contribute to international survey on orphan works

Published by Michelle Pauli on February 10, 2010 in Intellectual Property Rights and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

For the benefit of our Spanish readers, the international survey on orphan works has been translated. Read on to find out more  – in English and Spanish.

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