Contact us:

Mr Gordon Banks MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A OAA

Telephone 020 7219 8275

Latest news

APPG holds annual Parliamentary Reception

Publishers, officials and Parliamentarians gathered in Parliament on the evening of 4 November for the launch of a major advocacy booklet aimed at promoting the publishing sector and to pledge their support for the forthcoming Digital Economy Bill.

Host and Chair of the Group, Gordon Banks MP, introduced the evening, reminding those present of the valuable contribution All Party Groups make to the political process, and the many topical issues which the APPG – to which the PA provides the secretariat – had met to discuss over the past year.

John Whittingdale MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, spoke at length in support of the publishing industry and the vital part played by copyright in ensuring its sustainability. He reflected on the recent work of the Committee on issues such as libel and pledged his commitment to the principles of the Digital Economy Bill, which will be published later this month. He recognised – encouragingly for publishers – that the piracy agenda had historically been dominated by film and music and suggested that greater attention should be paid to its impact on the publishing industry.

Victoria Barnsley, CEO of HarperCollins, spoke next, highlighting the size of the sector and its increasing importance as a driver of the knowledge economy. Turning to the issue of copyright enforcement, she reminded the audience of the vital role publishers play in the creation of high quality, original content, and acknowledged the real and growing demand for legitimate content which, she said, was being met in a plethora of ways, often as a result of huge investment on the publisher’s part.

Simon Juden, Chief Executive of the PA, concluded with some reflections on the diversity to be found in the industry. He warned policy-makers of the dangers of treating all creative industries alike, suggesting that their business models and their audiences’ expectations are often fundamentally different. He underlined the focal role the PA plays in unifying a catholic constituency and making its case to government, before launching the new PA publication, Publishing touches everyone, which aims to capture and convey much of the dynamism and diversity associated with the sector.

APPG welcomes Minister

The Group welcomed Siôn Simon MP, newly appointed Minister for the Creative Industries, to its meeting on 16 July. The Minister attended to meet with members, talk about the issues which the publishing industry currently faces, and explain in more detail about his own brief.

The Group discussed a wide range of issues, including the potential applications of extended collective licensing in 21st century rights management, the desire of the publishing industry to solve the challenges presented by orphan works, and the ‘chilling effect’ which libel law, and in particular libel tourism, is currently having on the sector. In addition the Minister heard from Skillset about the work it is currently doing to develop skills, training and education policy in the publishing industry.

The Group was delighted to learn that the Minister saw his role as being one of championing the creative industries and defending the copyright framework. In response the Group outlined some of the key facts which illustrate exactly why publishing has such a critical role to play in the development of the knowledge economy. When asked what Government should be doing to progress the industry’s agenda, the Group suggested that government should broker conversations between ISPs and industry; enact measures to stop piracy; and facilitate the implementation of standards.

The Group looks forward to welcoming the Minister back on a future occasion to discuss developments in these and other areas.

Copyright The Publishers Association 2009