§ Sir Thomas ArnoldTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many references or applications have been heard by the Copyright Tribunal under its present rules of procedure.
§ Mr. McLoughlinEight references or applications have been heard by the tribunal under its present rules of procedure introduced in 1989 and amended in 1991 to take account of extension of the jurisdiction of the tribunal by the Broadcasting Act 1990. These cases have been of differing complexity and, in consequence, the length of hearings has varied from one day to several weeks, in two cases involving multiple applications and relating respectively to the use of TV listings information by newspapers and magazines and to the broadcasting of sound recordings by independent radio stations. Five further cases were resolved before reaching a hearing, although the tribunal made orders with the consent of the parties in two of these, and five cases are pending.
§ Sir Thomas ArnoldTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many questionnaires were sent out, and how many completed questionnaires were received by the Patent Office in respect of the consultation into the functioning of the Copyright Tribunal; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. McLoughlinSome 98 questionnaires seeking views on the functioning of the tribunal were sent out to those who have been involved in tribunal proceedings, including both users of copyright works and copyright owners, and other interested parties, and 30 replies were316W received. My Department is in the process of analysing these responses, and I will consider in the light of this analysis whether any changes in tribunal procedures are desirable.