IP Minister launches copyright initiative
Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe both launched and became the first public user of The Copyright Hub, the Digital Catapult’s innovative new copyright technology.
Using the tech the Minister was able to secure permission to use a copyrighted image provided by project partner 4Corners Images.
The launch event marked the first time that The Copyright Hub’s technology – a platform developed and supported by the Digital Catapult – has gone live.
The technology, which will be extended to other forms of media over the next few months, has been developed to enable creators to give permission for their work to be used both commercially and by members of the public.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe said: “The Copyright Hub’s innovative use of new technology will unlock a treasure trove of content and ensure fair returns for rights holders.
“The government is committed to making the UK the best place in Europe to innovate and grow a business and that is what the Digital Catapult is helping to do – acting as a catalyst for growth in promising markets where the UK is leading the world. Congratulations to the Catapult on their unique partnership with the Copyright Hub.”
Neil Crockett, CEO, the Digital Catapult, added: “The mission of the Digital Catapult is to support digital initiatives that create new products, services, jobs and value for the UK economy.
“The Copyright Hub is a brilliant example of what can be achieved and its impact on the creative economy could be massive. Not only will it take unnecessary friction out of the system wholesale, it will potentially boost productivity in every creative industry. It’s great to see the technology in action for the first time.”
And Richard Hooper, chairman of The Copyright Hub, said: “This is a proud moment for The Copyright Hub team. The government has supported us since the whole process began with the Hargreaves Report in 2011, and now we are beginning to see a new era for copyright put in place.
“Given continuing support from industry and government, this could be a world-leading initiative on a par with the creation of the web itself.”
There are now nearly 100 Copyright Hub applications planned, with ten under active development, including photo/picture library Mary Evans and the British Film Institute.
In addition, i-publishing goes live with its first Hub application today and in the next few weeks Capture will have incorporated Hub services in their application, reaching many more picture libraries.
The international potential of the new technology was confirmed by the news that The Copyright Hub has agreed a new partnership with Australian licensing organisation the Copyright Agency. As part of this agreement, The Copyright Agency will be contributing to The Copyright Hub’s core funding.
The technology is expected to eventually be rolled out in Australia across all of the content licensed by the Copyright Agency – text, images, art, and survey plans.
It continues the successful international work of The Copyright Hub, which is also working in the U.S. with the Copyright Clearance Centre and the Motion Picture Association of America and with an increasing number of other public and private partners across Europe and the world.
