David Lammy, the intellectual property minister, has today warned that the UK cannot solve the problem of copyright piracy without the support of other European governments.Lammy, speaking at the government's digital creative industries conference C&binet, said the UK has been stymied in its efforts to strengthen the enforcement of copyright because it is a "minority" player on the European stage."Some people tell me that content is national, they tell me the solutions lie in my backyard [but] this is not right, content is international," he added."Solutions lie internationally. For us, solutions lie in Europe. The UK must continue to encourage and support wider innovation and improve access to copyright works. But we can do relatively little domestically. A great deal of policy making is harmonised at European level and progress simply can't be made without a European consensus," Lammy said.
David Lammy, the intellectual property minister, has today warned that the UK cannot solve the problem of copyright piracy without the support of other European governments.
Lammy, speaking at the government's digital creative industries conference C&binet, said the UK has been stymied in its efforts to strengthen the enforcement of copyright because it is a "minority" player on the European stage.
"Some people tell me that content is national, they tell me the solutions lie in my backyard [but] this is not right, content is international," he added.
"Solutions lie internationally. For us, solutions lie in Europe. The UK must continue to encourage and support wider innovation and improve access to copyright works. But we can do relatively little domestically. A great deal of policy making is harmonised at European level and progress simply can't be made without a European consensus," Lammy said.
The flow of digital content is hampered by national borders and their laws, an EU report published last week shows, leading the European Commission to argue that better rules on consumer access and copyright are needed. [...] Eliminating illegal downloads has been a key priority for the EU. The issue has dominated year-long discussions on the Union's pending telecoms package, which was derailed in the summer after a row over Internet users' rights and illegal downloads. The Parliament surprised onlookers last Thursday by voting against an amendment on users' rights that it had fought hard to retain (EurActiv 23/10/09). Amendment 138, which would give accused illegal downloaders the right to a fair trial, was reworded to a right to "a prior, fair and impartial procedure". Internet activists argue that big media is lobbying the EU because trials are too costly and too slow. But downgrading the job of penalising illegal downloaders to a judicial authority would be marred with errors as Internet addresses are not an accurate way of tracking the person who downloaded content illegally, activists argue.
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Eliminating illegal downloads has been a key priority for the EU. The issue has dominated year-long discussions on the Union's pending telecoms package, which was derailed in the summer after a row over Internet users' rights and illegal downloads.
The Parliament surprised onlookers last Thursday by voting against an amendment on users' rights that it had fought hard to retain (EurActiv 23/10/09). Amendment 138, which would give accused illegal downloaders the right to a fair trial, was reworded to a right to "a prior, fair and impartial procedure".
Internet activists argue that big media is lobbying the EU because trials are too costly and too slow. But downgrading the job of penalising illegal downloaders to a judicial authority would be marred with errors as Internet addresses are not an accurate way of tracking the person who downloaded content illegally, activists argue.
