PRCA welcomes Government endorsement of Hargreaves Review

PRESS RELEASE

London – 3 August 2011 – The PRCA has welcomed the UK Business Secretary, Vince Cable’s announcement today that the government is adopting all 10 recommendations made in the Hargreaves Review of Copyright and Intellectual Property. The professional body believes that adoption of the Hargreaves Review recommendations will ensure that laws from the parchment era no longer constrain the opportunities of the internet.

 The PRCA’s experience in this area is framed by its recent experiences in the High Court and Court of Appeal. Judgements from the Courts ruled that anyone who clicks on a link and reads a newspaper article on a public website in a commercial setting will infringe copyright unless licensed by the publisher. As a result of this ruling millions of professionals will unwittingly infringe copyright on a daily basis by simply browsing the Web. The PRCA and Meltwater are seeking to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.

 Richard Ellis, PRCA communications director said “We are in an absurd situation. As a result of some UK newspapers looking to find extra ways to make money from their content without putting it behind a paywall, the onus is now on all UK users of the Internet to ensure they have the necessary licence to view the webpage they are about visit. The judgements of the High Court and Court of Appeal highlight how such fundamental acts as Internet browsing, can become illegal as technology outpaces the law. Every time we display anything on our computer screen it is now classified as making a copy. The Government endorsement of the Hargreaves review is both welcome and necessary.”

 

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Notes to Editors

Professor Lionel Bentley, lecturer at Cambridge University and intellectual property expert, comments on the NLA v Meltwater & PRCA case are available at http://bit.ly/n98BN0.

To view the Government's response in full please visit http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2011/Aug/reforming-ip

For further media enquiries please contact Richard Ellis, Communications Director, on 020 7233 6026 or Richard.ellis@prca.org.uk

About the 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 organisations

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