Rt Hon Sir Julian Smith KCB CBE, Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon, made an intervention in the House of Commons during the Data (Use and Access) Bill [Lords]: Consideration of Lords Message, once again urging the Government to take action to tackle the ongoing and damaging theft of intellectual property (IP) across the UK’s world-leading creative industries.
During the exchange with Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant, Julian stressed the urged the Government to bring forward a timeline and a vehicle for legislation that protects the intellectual property rights of UK creatives in the face of rapid AI development.
Speaking in the Commons, Julian said: “He does understand that the industry wants a timeline and a vehicle? I accept what he said at the start of the speech, but, really, they are desperate. They're having their intellectual property stolen day, by day, by day, and they want a timeline and a vehicle. And I hope he is going to confirm that the government is going to bring one forward."
This intervention follows Julian’s previous advocacy on this issue, including his speech on 3 June, in which he called for the Government to set out a clear plan to address IP theft online.
The Minister responded that the Government does not intend to change existing enforcement structures, citing the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act and emphasising that enforcement is largely a civil matter for rights holders.
You can watch Julian's intervention, and the Minister's response, here.
