The British creative industries need to play a key role in leading and funding the Copyright Hub, a marketplace for rights to streamline copyright licensing and make transactions easier for creators, rights holders and users, according to an independent report published today by Richard Hooper.

The report, Copyright Works: Streamlining Copyright Licensing for the Digital Age, was Hooper's final report on the feasibility of developing a Digital Copyright Exchange. The author, deputy chairman of the UK telecom regulator OFCOM between 2002 and 2005 and former chairman of the independent review of the Postal Services Sector, is currently senior independent director at YELL and VocaLink.

The report's two key recommendations are for the creation of a not-for-profit industry-led, industry-funded Copyright Hub, and the establishment of a steering group to drive forward and oversee the design and implementation of the Hub. The Copyright Hub will have five main purposes:

- to act as a signpost and be a navigation mechanism to the complex world of copyright;
- to be the place to go for copyright education;
- to be the place where any copyright owner can choose to register works, the associated rights to those works, permitted uses and licences granted;
- to be the place for potential licensees to go for easy-to-use, transparent, low transaction cost copyright licensing;
- to be one of the authoritative places where prospective users of orphan works can go to demonstrate they have done proper, reasonable and due diligence searches for the owners of those works before they digitise them.

"If the UK is to maintain and improve its position as world leader in the creative industries then it needs an efficient and responsive system to manage the use of creative rights," says Hooper. "Creating a single marketplace for copyright licensing would not only reduce the costs of licensing and simplify a complex system that can be difficult to navigate but would also bring together key players to have a more effective exchange and use of rights. This will only help boost economic growth, ensuring that both the industry and consumers are making the most of the UK's creativity."

The recommendation to facilitate an industry-led Digital Copyright Exchange came from Professor Hargreaves' review of intellectual property and growth, published in May 2011. Business Secretary, Vince Cable, asked Richard Hooper to undertake a detailed analysis of whether and how such an idea might work.

Following the publication of the Copyright Works report, Lavinia Carey, Director-General of the British Video Associatio said: "The BVA welcomes the constructive proposals [...], particularly the fact that the Copyright Hub will be a voluntary, opt-in, sign post and navigation mechanism focusing on high volume, low monetary value, low transaction cost licensing of creative content. As an active partner in the consultation process we believe that this balanced, industry led hub should act as a source of content owners and relevant licensors."

Richard Hooper's report Copyright Works can be downloaded here.

Story filed 31.07.12