The UK has taken its first steps into introducing a system called the ÂCopyright HubÂ, a web portal which makes it easier for companies and individuals to identifying copyright owners for the purpose of licensing.Â
The Copyright Hub will enable copyright owners to register their work at their own discretion.
The Copyright Hub will be the first port of call for Individuals and businesses requiring information about who owns the copyright in a particular type of work for example, music, photographs, text etc. Contact details will be provided to simply request permission for copying, adapting, sharing or distributing the work. These are acts which would otherwise lead to copyright infringing if permission is not obtained.
The chair of the Copyright Hub Launch Group, Richard Hooper said that ÂThe first customer is the rights user i.e. the person wanting to find out information about the ownership of the work, Âthen the second customer is the creator i.e. people generating and registering their own work.
Hooper further added the copyright hub is in its Âfirst phase and the hub currently links to 12 organisations and collecting agencies in UK and abroad and additional links will be added in the near future.