IP adviser urges IP education and awareness
October 13, 2014
By Colin Mann
Mike Weatherley, Intellectual Property Adviser to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, has published his third IP related report – Copyright Education and Awareness – which examines IP education and aims to help reinforce on the public the importance of respecting IP and paying a fair price for content.
In his capacity as Cameron’s Intellectual Property Adviser, Weatherley has previously published two other internationally-acclaimed reports. Follow the Money, which addresses the detrimental impact of illegal websites profiting from advertising, and Search Engines and Piracy, which outlines the shortcomings of search engine providers in the fight against online piracy.
Recommendations include: A step up in the coordination of IP awareness programmes, led by the IPO; Greater measurement of IP perceptions and behaviours; Incorporating IP education in the school curriculum; The BBC to create a copyright education programme; Emphasis on better, clearer information on IP education; Making better use of technology; Introduction of an IP/Education coordinator; Emphasis on reporting outcomes across Government.
Weatherley said that getting education right on Intellectual Property awareness was paramount if, as a country, the UK was properly to respect the value of the creative industries. “I have now submitted three reports to the Prime Minister on various aspects of Intellectual Property and I hope that my education report will help shape the future of both IP education and awareness across the country,” he stated.
Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said that intellectual property underpinned creative industries. “It’s what our past success was built on and it’s what our future success depends on. We need to get the message across that if people value creativity – and most do – then it has to be paid for. Education plays a vitally important role in changing people’s behaviour. By communicating the vital importance of copyright, not just to the success of our creative industries but to the many jobs these sectors will create, we hope to bring about behavioural change. Working with Mike Weatherley MP, the Prime Minister’s adviser on intellectual property, we have made important steps forward in tackling intellectual property theft in recent months but we are not complacent. There is more to do and we are determined to work alongside all parties to build a fair and legal online economy,” he declared.