Cameron under pressure to back calls for UK ‘copyright shop’
David Cameron is facing calls from a senior licensing expert to back measures which could see the establishment of an online copyright shop through which the rights to all copyrighted material, including music, film and TV recordings can be protected and bought.
Such a move is seen as vital if the UK is to become a global hub for digital content companies, as the Prime Minister outlined in his vision for an east London “Tech City”.
Neil Allcock, a licensing expert at Deloitte, welcomed the idea of a one-stop shop but told the Telegraph: “We need to do this on a global basis otherwise it will not work – and that is very difficult to achieve…I doubt the report will give practical advice on how to achieve this.
“I think it will need additional support from the Government otherwise nothing will really move on and change. These are good suggestions and it is very positive someone is saying this. However, the Government need to step in and ensure change happens.”
Cameron is keen to see adoption of a US style “fair use” policy in the UK to foster establishment of new digital start-ups after observing that the founders of Google had stated they could never have started their business in Britain.