Ed Vaizey, the Culture Minister, has suggested that concerns surrounding content will play a leading role in the ongoing review of the regulatory framework supporting the UK communications sector. “In an age focused on Internet piracy, content is more important,” he told delegates at the Future of Entertainment Summit in London.

He accepted that this created a challenge for policy makers, and revealed that the Government’s approach to the review was guided by an overarching strategy that included a need to build an appropriate digital platform; supporting the production and protection of content, and bringing regulation up-to-date, particularly in terms of privacy and ‘inappropriate’ content.

He confirmed that steps were being taken to implement aspects of the 2010 Digital Economy Act, with notices to copyright transgressors set to be issued from 2014, adding that while content copyright needed to be protected, it was important to make sure that regulation was “fit for the digital age”.

The conclusions of a series of Round Tables would be published “as soon as possible” with a White Paper to follow. In the meanwhile, he suggested that the proposed Digital Copyright Exchange as suggested by the Hargreaves Review should be business-led. “We look to rights-holders to work effectively to make this happen,” he said, adding that with content, there was now a need to look across the whole supply chain to enable new businesses to thrive.

Categories: Articles, Content, Piracy, Policy, Regulation, Rights