PRCA calls on industry to lobby Parliament re temporary copies

PRESS RELEASE

London, 15 August , 2011 - Further to seeking permission to appeal the Court of Appeal’s ruling on temporary copies (27 July 2011, Newspaper Licensing Agency v Meltwater Group & PRCA)  to the Supreme court, the PRCA and Meltwater Group have initiated a campaign to raise the issues of temporary copies with Parliament via constituency MPs.

The two organisations are asking that anyone who believes that the ‘temporary copies’ ruling is incorrect or a threat to the effective use of the Internet write to their MP to ask them for their perspective and to raise the issue with the relevant government departments. The Court’s ruling means that the technological process of displaying a web page on a computer is not "temporary copy" exempt from copyright. As a result millions of professionals will unwittingly infringe copyright legislation on a daily basis by simply browsing the webpages where the website owner has a link to terms and conditions that require a licence or payment to view the page.

Given the complexity of the issues, the PRCA and Meltwater Group have drafted an email that those concerned by the ruling can edit and send to their MP. The letter/ email requests the constituency MP contact the relevant ministers about the issue of temporary copies.

Richard Ellis, PRCA communications director commented “This ruling is ridiculous. The actions of a few newspapers risk compromising the functionality of the internet in the UK. The Internet is the greatest source of information and growth we have. The temporary copies ruling must be overturned.”

              
                                                                                       -ENDS-


Notes to Editors

Further information on the history of the case and the draft e-mails is available here.

For media enquiries please contact:

Dan Purvis
Meltwater Group
+44 7801 424 454
dan.purvis@meltwater.com
 
Richard Ellis
PRCA
+44 7779 102 758
pressoffice@prca.org.uk


About The Meltwater Group

The Meltwater Group is a privately held software company founded in Norway in 2001, serving more than 18,000 clients through 57 offices located across North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. Meltwater is committed to challenging existing business models by introducing disruptive technologies. The Meltwater Group delivers B2B solutions based on search engine technology, cloud computing and talent management software. For more information, please click here.


About PRCA

Who we are: Founded in 1969, the PRCA is the professional body that represents UK PR consultancies, in-house communications teams and PR freelancers.  The PRCA promotes all aspects of public relations and internal communications work, helping teams and individuals maximise the value they deliver to clients and organisations.

What we do: The Association exists to raise standards in PR and communications, providing members with industry data, facilitating the sharing of communications best practice and creating networking opportunities.

How we do it and make a difference: All PRCA members are bound by a professional charter and codes of conduct, and benefit from exceptional training. The Association also works for the greater benefit of the industry, sharing best practice and lobbying on the industry's behalf e.g. fighting the NLA's digital licence.

Who we represent: The PRCA represents many of the major consultancies in the UK, and currently has more than 230 agency members from around the world including the majority of the top 100 UK consultancies. We also represent around 60 in-house communications teams from multinationals, UK charities and leading UK public sector organizations.
 

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