Fears copyright laws will threaten press freedom

The newspaper industry has expressed concern that proposals to water down copyright protections will make it more difficult for newspapers to stop their content being reproduced without permission or payment.

New copyright laws have been recommended by a Government-appointed committee which proposed wide-ranging reforms to take account of the explosion in internet use and social media. Among their recommendations are a “fair use” policy to allow limited reproduction of an individual’s written, visual, or recorded work without their permission.

Proving fair use would necessitate showing the material reproduced was not of excessive quantity, was not used for commercial gain and that its commercial value to its producer was not adversely affected.