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Vaizey says rights holders should not fear Hargreaves review

By | Published on Friday 6 May 2011

Ed Vaizey

The government’s culture dude Ed Vaizey has told a meeting of the book publishing industry that the Hargreaves Review of intellectual property law has “absolutely taken on board” the concerns of rights owners, amid claims that the government’s latest copyright review has been biased towards digital service providers who want an easier process for licensing content and a wider clearer fair dealing system.

Those claims were fuelled by rumours the review had been instigated by a meeting between Google and David Cameron, and a perception amongst the copyright industries that Professor Hargreaves initial questions were phrased to be antagonistic towards rights holders.

But at the AGM of The Publishers Association, Vaizey said the review – which is due to report this month, had “absolutely taken on board” rightsholders’ concerns, adding that copyright owners “should not have much to fear” about Hargreaves’ recommendations, and that they may see them as “a step forward” for their industries.

He also told the book sector – who are themselves becoming more concerned about online piracy as the ebooks market finally takes off – that he was hopeful a roadmap would be in place shortly for the implementation of the anti-piracy elements of the Digital Economy Act.



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