Creative Britain

In Great Britain, the hard-fought battle over file-sharing between the entertainment industry and internet service providers will soon be resolved. On February 22, the British government issued a warning to both parties, giving the entertainment and access industries a timeframe to settle their differences. The diametrically opposed industries will have until April 2009 to reach an agreement, or the government will step in and do it for them.

In Great Britain, the hard-fought battle over file-sharing between the entertainment industry and internet service providers will soon be resolved. On February 22, the British government issued a warning to both parties, giving the entertainment and access industries a timeframe to settle their differences. The diametrically opposed industries will have until April 2009 to reach an agreement, or the government will step in and do it for them.

The warning came in the form of a published strategies paper titled “Creative Britain: New Talents for the New Economy.” It outlines the government’s strategic policy changes concerning the protection of intellectual property rights. Specifically, the document addresses the responsibility of ISPs regarding copyright infringement, and makes it clear that the existing liability-free status of ISPs is a danger to creative content. The plan also sketches out the government’s intention to foster creative thought through the “Find Your Talent” education program that will “give every child and young person the opportunity to develop their creative talent to the full.”

Creative Britain establishes one of the most involved plans a country’s government has taken concerning creative content, and marks an unprecedented step forward with regard to ISPs and copyright infringement.

Secretary of State Andy Burnham states in the document’s foreword, “Our creative industries have grown twice as fast as the rest of the economy in recent years, now accounting for over seven percent of GDP. If they are to continue to grow in size and significance, we must work hard to maintain the most favorable conditions to stimulate British innovation and dynamism.”