The concern surrounding the licensing of 'orphan' works

The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act (ERR), which received Royal Assent on 25 April, provides the Secretary of State with the power to introduce licensing of ‘orphan’ works, works which have noThe Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act (ERR), which received Royal Assent on 25 April, provides the Secretary of State with the power to introduce licensing of ‘orphan’ works, works which have no identified owner and which currently cannot be digitised or used without permission until the term of copyright expires. The ERR implements certain recommendations made by Professor Ian Hargreaves and the powers set out in the ERR are designed to allow the commercial exploitation of such orphan works.  However, there are concerns surrounding such licensing and the wider impact of the ERR on the UK’s copyright law framework.

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