The Weatherley Forecast

The Prime Minister’s current advisor on intellectual property Mike Weatherley MP has released a report focusing on the importance of copyright education and awareness.

The paper essentially recommends greater measures and a more joined up approach between the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), CREATe, the Department for Education, the BBC, Innovate UK and the wider creative industries and the formation of a cross-industry working group. This will bring together all interested parties and consult on its strategic vision by the end of the first quarter of next year.

Commenting on the report, BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor, said: “In recent years, the music industry has stepped up efforts to educate consumers about copyright and its relevance to the future of the creative industries”.

Taylor went on: “Mike Weatherley’s comprehensive report is an important first step in bringing a range of IP-dependent sectors together to build on our individual efforts in the world of consumer education and sets a strong foundation for the development of the recently-announced Creative Content UK”.

Further recommendations include greater measurement of IP perceptions and behaviours, incorporating IP education in the school curriculum and an emphasis on better, clearer information on IP education, in addition to making better use of technology.

Following the publication of the report, Weatherley announced that he was stepping down from his role as IP advisor to the PM, having previously announced that he would step down as MP of Hove and Portslade at the next election.

Weatherley said: “It has been a wonderful opportunity to work with the Prime Minister in this way. Feedback from industry has been very encouraging throughout the time that I served as the Prime Minister’s advisor and I have very much enjoyed the work that was involved in both tackling IP crime and boosting the profile of IP generally”.

He is not thought to be defecting to advise UKIP on copyright matters but as we’ve seen recently, you can never say never with a Tory MP.