As the Prime Minister prepares to meet President Trump during the US state visit, WGGB has joined over 70 of the UK’s leading creators and creative organisations in signing an open letter demanding the Government explain its failure to protect the rights of UK copyright holders by upholding international human rights standards.
Writers including Sir Tom Stoppard, Moira Buffini, Lee Hall, Ben Power, Sarah Phelps and Kwame Kwei-Armah have also added their voices, alongside cultural icons including Robbie Williams, Sir Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Kate Bush, Elton John and Neil Tennant.
The signatories demand that the Government sets out its justification for failing to enforce the rights of UK copyright holders, as required by international and UK human rights law. They also ask why, during the passage of the Data (Use and Access) Act, the Government blocked the transparency and enforcement mechanisms demanded by rights holders, despite clear and ongoing breaches.
The letter makes clear that the Government’s current position – refusing to take steps to
make existing law enforceable – risks ceding control over the UK’s creative economy and
the rights of its citizens to overseas interests.
The UK Government will look to finalise a tech trade agreement with the US during President Trump’s visit, with Ministers keen that AI forms a key component of any deal struck.
Read the full letter here.
Find out more about WGGB’s campaigning work on copyright and AI here.