The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishing (ALPSP), the international trade association for scholarly and professional publishers, has responded to the UK Intellectual Property Office issues paper, '© the Future'. The issues paper posed a number of questions regarding the nature of copyright in the digital era and re-opened the debate as to whether copyright is fit for purpose in the current technological and social climate.
In its response, the ALPSP has acknowledged that intellectual property (IP) regimes must balance the needs of users with those of rights holders to fairly exploit their IP. But it has noted that a strong IP regime, backed by appropriate enforcement and education, is needed to provide a framework that stimulates innovation and rewards creativity. According to the association, the current copyright regime is functioning reasonably well and has created the right conditions for a successful and competitive market. All those who participate in this market - from creators and creative artists, to publishers, distributors and retailers - can receive an equitable return, it says.
The full text of the ALPSP response, which was drafted by Rosemary Heald, Sue Joshua, Fiona Kearney and Ian Russell on behalf of the ALPSP Copyright Committee, is now available online at http://www.alpsp.org/ForceDownload.asp?id=1093. The deadline for responses has been extended to February 27, 2009 and ALPSP members can still make individual responses.
