Industry bodies call for copyright awareness action
February 10, 2023
By Colin Mann
Pro-copyright consumer education body The Industry Trust for IP Awareness and trade body the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE) are calling for a joined-up whole society approach to champion the audiovisual industry and the importance of copyright. The Trust has released an overview of the current infringement landscape with supportive measures set out to empower more invested parties to work together on a collaborative response to tackle the growing threat.
Piracy: a Problem Shared looks at how the combination of professionalised piracy, technological convenience, gaps in regulatory protections, and media advocacy of infringing practices are creating a potentially perfect breeding ground for infringement.
The overview addresses five key problems that the creative industry faces with regards to piracy, including the role of social media in advocating infringement, and four key risks for individuals who participate in piracy, including the heightened risks of malware and fraud.
The suggested solution is a whole society approach that includes a fully supportive policy framework, as well as technology companies improving customer verification. With ease of access playing a major role in the normalisation of infringement, technology companies could make it more difficult, especially via legal devices. Additional support could come from overall piracy education, including campaigns such as the Industry Trust’s Moments Worth Paying For.
“The publication of the latest OCI tracker is a demonstration of the UK’s commitment to tackling infringement from an insight and evidence led approach,” stated Liz Bales, Chief Executive at The Industry Trust for IP Awareness. “The Trust created this overview following the first Industry Trust Infringement Roundtable in 2022, to pro-actively make a material difference to the current state of infringement through a focus on collaboration, education, and regulation. For almost 20 years, the Trust has worked in collaboration with its partners to create a strategy based on collective action. Professionals within the key sectors outlined in the overview are invited to contact us to explore ways we can challenge the problem of infringement, and support the value of copyright, as a unified community.”