As you may have seen elsewhere, I am going to be the new CEO of the Copyright Hub. While this was absolutely not what I had planned for myself, it’s too tempting an opportunity to pass up.
I have been of the view for years that the problem with copyright is not the law, but the way in which it is implemented in the digital era. While the problems have been obvious (it’s too hard to get things done, fundamentally), I have strongly believed that the solution is not to change the law. It has been frustrating that we have not made more progress towards changing the mechanisms of copyright to work better in an internet world.
My view on this has translated into action in a number of things, big and small. I have been involved with.
The ACAP project, which started from the simple observation that complaining about the way search engines crawled content wasn’t very constructive but helping them along by developing a means for their crawlers to talk to content web servers was, is a project aimed at making practical solutions to otherwise difficult problems.
The NLA e-clips project, as well, has been a great and enduring success based on the idea that if the (in this case newspaper) industry invests in creating great technology and services in response to changing needs, good things can happen. They did, and they continue to do so.
And the Copyright Hub is the most ambitious that I have been involved with yet. Recognising that the mechanisms of copyright need to radically change in an era when everyone is a creator and user, and that these mechanisms aren’t going to invent themselves, we are setting out to make good, practical, things happen.
Ultimately copyright needs to work in the interests of end users and creators (who increasingly overlap) if it is to work at all. The Copyright Hub sets out to improve the way it works to this end. It has huge support from right across the creative industries in the UK and beyond. I have a clear view of what I want it to do (and – just as important – what I want it NOT to do). If you want to know more about either, ask me… or just wait and I’ll tell you anyway.
In terms of this blog, which is rather randomly updated anyway, I’m going to keep randomly updating it with thoughts and ideas.
It’s probably necessary to point out that it is, and always has been, a personal blog expressing personal views and venting my frustrations, often on matters way outside the remit of the Copyright Hub. My views are not necessarily those of the Hub.
We’re going to try to make a really positive difference for everyone in the creative industries. Wish me luck!
Copyright Blog 