Digital Economy Bill - the main points

The government outlined the Digital Economy Bill on Friday. Here are the main points:


Online infringement of copyright
Individual ISPs will be obliged to take action on people suspected of online copyright infringement.

The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act will also be updated to enable anti-piracy technologies to be implemented more quickly than previously possible.

Extended Collective Licensing
The copyright licensing system will be modernised to make it simpler and quicker for licensing societies to make content available online to consumers.

Orphan works
Previously unusable cultural content - known as ‘orphan works' - where the rights holder cannot be identified or found, will be opened up for public and commercial use. This could benefit services such as Google Books.

Independent and high-quality news
Give Ofcom powers to appoint and fund Independently Funded News Consortia and future-proof Channel 3 and Channel 5 licencees, including adjusting requirements of Channel 3 licence holders to produce or broadcast Gaelic programming.

Digital Economy Bill: Reactions

Public Lending Rights
Extend public lending rights to include digital material such as audio and e-books. This will mean producers and artists who have created this content will be rewarded when material is lent out from public libraries.

Digital infrastructure and content
Give Ofcom new duties to promote investment in communications infrastructure where this is needed and to make a formal assessment of the UK's communications infrastructure every two years.

Internet domain names
Ensure the efficient allocation and registration of internet domain names in the UK.

Digital radio
Update the regulatory framework to prepare for moves to digital switchover for radio by 2015.

Channel 4 Corporation
Update Channel 4's functions to encompass public service content online as well as on television to make it fit for the digital age.

Mobile and wireless broadband
Enable development of next-generation mobile broadband services by allowing for the charging of periodic payments such as Adminstered Incentive Pricing on auctioned spectrum licences and allowing Ofcom to levy monetary penalties for failure to meet certain licence conditions.

Video games
Protect children by making age ratings compulsory for all boxed games designed for those aged 12 or above.


Opinion: Digital Economy Bill is a mess