Previous campaigns
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We would like to thank the ALCS members who joined together to write to their MP for the following campaigns.
The call for the protection of authors’ copyright amidst the Government’s copyright exhaustion review
The UK Government consulted on an integral part of the IP framework called ‘copyright exhaustion’. They have the power to do so following the UK’s exit from the EU.
Copyright of a book gives the owner certain exclusive rights. This includes the exclusive right to issue copies of the work to the public, known as the ‘distribution right’. The owner can control distribution in terms of the first sale of their book, and ‘exhaustion of rights’ puts some limits on how far that control extends. This right means authors can control where their works are first sold and at what price. It’s crucial for exporting books around the world and ensuring UK authors benefit financially from those sales. If this framework changes, UK authors could lose any ability through copyright to manage global resale of their books, no matter where they are first sold.
Together we requested that the Government maintains the current exhaustion model and avoids a change to an international regime which would be detrimental to authors’ incomes.
The IPO consultation closed and the Government is considering responses to it. Many MPs have spoken up for authors’ concerns following this campaign.
Government Self-Employment Income Support Scheme coverage
Call for an increase to the Public Lending Right fund and support for authors' incomes in the upcoming budget
Public Lending Right (PLR) is a way to provide authors with fair monetary remuneration for the use of their work in public libraries. It is an ideal way in which the Government can support UK writers and do it fairly for their contributions to culture that are freely available. The total fund has not increased for over ten years and we would like to urge the Government to increase this. We would also like the Government to review its income support schemes to support authors.
The current circumstances of COVID-19 have made it a particularly difficult time for the creative industry, with authors’ incomes feeling the impact. The outbreak has exacerbated an ongoing problem where authors’ earnings had already fallen by 42% from 2005 to 2018, despite the creative industries being a sector that has seen consistent growth. PLR is designed to compensate authors for their contributions to a public good and, by design, it should reach a wide range of writers whose works are used. Unfortunately, the PLR fund has not increased for ten years, meaning authors are compensated at under 10p per loan for their books, less than equivalent systems in Europe, at a time when they need the support the most. When you write to your MP, please comment on what PLR has meant to you in your work as an author, as both a source of remuneration and a connection between libraries and readers.