Creative Industries Delivering Commitment to Streamline Copyright Licensing for Digital Age
The Copyright Licensing Steering Group (CLSG) publishes new report
The Copyright Licensing Steering Group (CLSG) – the body established by the creative industries to take forward Richard Hooper and Dr Ros Lynch’s report Copyright Works - publishes a report today detailing the successes over the past 12 months in implementing recommendations to streamline copyright licensing.
The CLSG has been supported in its work by six workstreams, focusing on each of the recommendations. In all, over 100 people from across the creative industries participated in the work.
Progress over the past 12 months includes:
- The launch of a pilot phase of the Copyright Hub in July
- The publication of a Voluntary Code of Practice for creating and retaining metadata in images
- The development of a range of initiatives to streamline the licensing landscape for educational establishments
- The planned introduction of two new joint music licences from PPL and PRS for Music
- New digital music licensing initiatives for start-ups and app developers
- Progress on the adoption and inter-operability of common data standards
This report demonstrates the real progress that has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Hooper/Lynch report. The work over the past year has demonstrated clearly the power of all parts of the creative industries working collaboratively together with the support of Government to come up with pragmatic and workable solutions to the challenges of copyright licensing. I would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who have contributed to this report.
The work of the Copyright Licensing Steering Group in making licensing work better - both through the creation of a Copyright Hub and by simplifying existing licensing approaches - is excellent.
I congratulate the group on the work so far and look forward to working with them.
Once, the church and state commissioned artists to produce books, paintings and music. Then came printing, beginning the democratisation of the markets for their work, then film and radio, and now we have the digital world. But how are the creators to be paid?
The Hub seeks to solve this by a simplified facility for licensing, putting consumers in touch with the works they want, and providing an income for the creators.
Our report shows how the industries have come together to solve the problems of making piracy redundant, and assuring the future of UK creators, their music, art and literature, and their massive contribution, both cultural and economic.
We welcome the CLSG report, which clearly displays the progress that has been achieved by the creative sector over the last twelve months to streamline copyright licensing, while outlining a road map for future developments. This could only have been achieved through the collaborative spirit that Richard Hooper and Dr Ros Lynch have so successfully instilled. Both PPL and PRS for Music are committed to working with the Copyright Hub, while at the same time exploring more ways that our two companies can work together to make licensing easier for users.
Note to Editors
The CLSG was established with a wide mandate to ensure on-going cross-sector co-ordination and to continue the momentum across all the issues raised in the Hooper/Lynch report. Six separate workstreams were established, and you can finddetailed reports on the progress made at www.clsg.info
Members of the CLSG:
- James Lancaster (Chair)
- Daniel Alexander QC (8 New Square Chambers)
- Robert Ashcroft, CEO, PRS for Music
- Mark Bide, Executive Director, EDItEUR
- Christoph Chesher, Group Sales Director, Taylor & Francis
- Fiona Clarke-Hackston, CEO, BSAC
- Jo Dipple, CEO, UK Music
- Maureen Duffy, Creator
- Stephen Edwards, Partner, Reed Smith LLP
- Mary Egan, BAPLA
- Sarah Faulder, CEO, PLS
- Richard Hooper CBE, Chair, the Copyright Hub Limited
- Rob Kirkham, Head, Copyright Contracting, BBC
- Peter Leathem, CEO, PPL
- Dr Ros Lynch, Director, CLCO
- Sue Malden, Chair, Focal International
- David Pugh, Managing Director, NLA media access
- Gilane Tawadros, CEO, DACS
- Gwen Thomas, Business & Legal Director, AoP
The Copyright Hub
The Copyright Hub, built and led by the UK’s music, publishing, audio-visual and images industries, will be a portal with intelligent connections to a wide range of websites, digital copyright exchanges and databases in the UK and around the world.
View the Hub at www.copyrighthub.co.uk
For further information contact Ros Lynch – ros@copyrighthub.co.uk
About PRS for Music
PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 165,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers around the globe. Headquartered in the UK, it works diligently on behalf of its members to grow and protect the value of their rights. With a focus on innovation and integrity, PRS for Music is redefining the global standard for music royalties to ensure creators are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. In 2022, PRS for Music collected £964m and paid out £836.2m in royalties. prsformusic.com
