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Proceeding contribution from John Whittingdale (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Thursday, 20 March 2008. It occurred during Adjournment debate on Creative Industries.


Creative Industries

My hon. Friend anticipates precisely the point that I was coming to. He is of course entirely right. Young people do not see that there is anything wrong with the practice. They have grown up with it and they see it as perfectly normal behaviour. I have attempted to make the comparison with shoplifting that my hon. Friend made, but I have not been wholly successful. I shall continue to make the case because I strongly believe that the practice in question is theft, but it is an enormous challenge. I welcome what the Minister said about greater education and the attempts that are being made to get the message across. British Music Rights, for example, has worked to introduce material into the curriculum to increase understanding of copyright. Such efforts are important, but, to return to a point I made earlier, the industry will just have to accept that behaviour is changing and will have to adapt its business models to take account of that fact. Something like a single payment subscription to an iTunes library, which would give access to a huge range of material, would be a far more productive way of addressing the problem. I simply do not think that we shall persuade people that the old business models are sustainable and that they must change their behaviour. Education is hugely important.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
473 c307WH 
Session
2007-08
Chamber / Committee
Westminster Hall
Subjects
Broadcasting Business Arts Copyright Digital broadcasting Film Industry Innovation Media Technology Television Skilled workers
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk