HC Deb 10 February 1993 vol 218 cc664-7W
Dr. Moonie

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures will be taken by his Department in order to implement the European directive on rental right and lending right.

Mr. Leigh

This directive will be implemented by means of a statutory instrument amending the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Member states have until 1 July 1994 to comply with the directive. In view of the complexity of the directive and the options which it makes available to member states, my Department intends to consult widely before finalising the amending legislation. I expect consultations to begin in the next few months.

Dr. Moonie

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what actions and consultation his Department is undertaking with regard to a possible instrument on the protection of the rights of performers and producers of phonograms by the World Intellectual Property Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Leigh

The United Kingdom has been at the forefront in urging the World Intellectual Property Organisation—WIPO—to draw up a new international agreement on the protection of performers' and record producers' rights. WIPO has now begun preparatory work on such an agreement. This is a development of an earlier WIPO initiative on a possible protocol to the Berne convention on authors' rights, on which work is continuing. More than 50 organisations representative of United Kingdom copyright interests have already been consulted on the protocol, and there will be similar consultation on the new instrument when WIPO makes this available in draft form. United Kingdom officials also take part in regular informal discussions on these matters involving the European Commission, the United States, Japan and other major countries.

Dr. Moonie

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those EC directives related to copyright and intellectual property presently under consideration by his Department; and if he will list those individuals and organisations who have been consulted with regard to them.

Mr. Leigh

Four draft directives in the intellectual property field are currently under consideration: a proposal for a Council directive on the co-ordination of certain rules concerning copyright and neighbouring rights applicable to satellite broadcasting and cable retransmission; a proposal for a Council directive harmonising the term of protection of copyright and certain related rights; a proposal for a Council directive on the legal protection of databases; and a proposal for a Council directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions. In addition, the Department is considering the implementation into United Kingdom law of two adopted directives —directive 89/104/EEC to approximate the laws of the member states relating to trade marks, and directive 92/100/EEC on rental right and lending right and on certain rights related to copyright in the field of intellectual property.

Numerous organisations and individuals have been consulted in connection with these measures. In general, consultation has taken place through bodies representing particular interest groups, where these exist. Organisations consulted in relation to the measures listed above include the following.

Copyright

  • Arts Council
  • Association of County Councils
  • Association of the Electronics Telecommunications and Business Equipment Industries (EEA)
    • 666
  • Association for Geographic Information
  • Association of Independent Radio Companies
  • Association for Information Management (ASLIB)
  • Association of Metropolitan Authorities
  • Association of Photographers
  • Authors Licensing and Collecting Society
  • British Academy
  • British Academy of Film and Television Arts
  • British Actors Equity Association
  • British Broadcasting Corporation
  • British Computer Society
  • British Copyright Council
  • British Film Institute
  • British Library
  • British Microcomputer Federation
  • British Office Technology Manufacturers Alliance
  • British Photographers Liaison Committee
  • British Phonographic Industry
  • British Retail Consortium
  • British Screen Advisory Council
  • British Sky Broadcasting
  • British Telecom
  • British Videogram Association
  • Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematographic and Theatre Union
  • Business Equipment and Information Technology Association
  • Business Software Alliance
  • Cable Television Association
  • Centre for Commercial Law Studies
  • Channel Four Television
  • Cinema Exhibitors Association
  • Committee of Directors of Polytechnics
  • Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom
  • Common Law Institute of Intellectual Property
  • Computer Users of Europe
  • Computing Services Association
  • Confederation of British Industry
  • Confederation of Information Communication Industries
  • Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities
  • Consumers Association
  • Copyright Licensing Agency
  • Council of Polytechnic Librarians
  • Design and Artists Copyright Society
  • Direct Marketing Association
  • Directors and Producers Rights Society
  • European Information Industry Association
  • European Information Researchers Network
  • Federation Against Software Theft
  • Federation of Local Authority Chief Librarians
  • Independent Television Association
  • Independent Television Commission
  • Institute of Electrical Engineers
  • International Association of Music Libraries (UK)
  • International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
  • Law Society
  • Law Society of Scotland
  • Library Association
  • Mechanical Copyright Protection Society
  • Museums and Galleries Commission
  • Music Copyright Reform Group
  • Music Publishers Association
  • Musicians Union
  • Music Users Council
  • National Computer Users Federation
  • National Council for Education Technology
  • Newspaper Publishers Association
  • Newspaper Society
  • Ordnance Survey
  • Performing Right Society
  • Periodical Publishers Association
  • Phonographic Performance Limited
  • Post Office
  • Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television
  • Public Lending Right Office
  • Publishers Association
  • Radio Authority
  • Royal Society
  • Scottish Software Federation
    • 667
  • S4C
  • Society of Authors
  • Society of Film Distributors
  • Standing Conference of National and University Libraries
  • Writers Guild of Great Britain

Patents and Trade Marks

  • Association of British Chambers of Commerce
  • Bar Council
  • BioIndustry Association
  • British Agrochemicals Association
  • British Association of Rose Breeders
  • British Poultry Breeders and Hatcheries Association
  • British Retail Consortium
  • British Sugar Beet Seed Producers Association
  • Centre for Commercial Law Studies
  • Chartered Institute of Patent Agents
  • Chartered Society of Designers
  • Compassion in World Farming
  • Confederation of British Industry
  • Consumers Association
  • Federation of Small Businesses
  • Food and Drink Federation
  • Greenpeace
  • Incorporated Society of British Advertisers
  • Institute of Patentees and Inventors
  • Institute of Trade Mark Agents
  • Law Society
  • Law Society of Scotland
  • Licensing Executives Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • Meat and Livestock Commission
  • Medical Research Council
  • Milk Marketing Board
  • National Consumer Council
  • National Federation of Womens Institutes
  • Patent Concern
  • Plant Variety Rights Office
  • Potato Marketing Board
  • Trade Marks Patents and Designs Federation
  • Worldwide Fund for Nature (UK)

Dr. Moonie

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the developments in copyright matters made under Britain's Presidency of the European Community.

Mr. Leigh

One directive in the copyright field was adopted during the United Kingdom presidency of the European Community—directive 92/100/EEC of 19 November concerning rental and lending rights and certain rights related to copyright. The United Kingdom also sought agreement at the December Internal Market Council on a draft directive dealing with copyright and related rights in the field of cable and satellite broadcasting, but a minority of member states resisted this. Regular discussions were held at Council working group level on a draft directive on the duration of copyright and neighbouring rights protection. The United Kingdom also played a leading role in Community efforts to further the work of the World Intellectual Property Organisation in the copyright field.