The Forum focuses on the continuing importance of copyright to the UK publishing community as it adopts and develops new digital publishing strategies and business models.
The Statute of Anne, enacted 300 years ago in April 1710, established a copyright regime begun 153 years earlier by the Stationers’ Company which has been the basis for the development of the creative industries which now account for 10 percent of the UK economy.
The event on Monday 8 November will include an Academic Conference organised by Professor Iain Stevenson of UCL followed by the launch of a specially commissioned book of papers currently forming the website www.copyright-debate.co.uk discussing the continuing role of copyright in the digital age. The 24 contributors include James Murdoch and CBI President Helen Alexander.
Following the opening of the evening forum by James Murdoch, BBC London Breakfast presenter Mike Ramsden will introduce a panel of leading speakers who have been at the centre of the transition to the new publishing environment and who are all contributors to the website and The Stationers’ book.
They are Dr Sarah Thomas, Bodley’s Librarian; John Howkins, author and convenor of the British Council copyright initiative; Roger Parry, author and Chairman of Future Publishing; and Kevin Taylor, Director of Strategy and Intellectual Property at Cambridge University Press and they will lead the debate to which all contributors have been invited.
Discussion will focus on the issues for publishers in protecting ownership of intellectual property while developing profitable digital publishing models.
For further information go to www.copyright-debate.co.uk.
