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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, I want to say something helpful. Frighteningly, I suggest that we are prepared to accept this amendment. The purpose of the amendment is to require that the initial obligations code contains a threshold over which relevant subscribers could be added to a copyright infringer list. Generally speaking, I have taken the view that where there is scope to provide flexibility without disadvantaging any of the parties then we should take it. However, underlying that is the necessity that this should be, and be seen to be, fair to subscribers, the majority of whom, after all, do not infringe copyright online. It is reasonable that those who are so identified should have the certainty that they will not find themselves on the copyright infringers list if they ensure that they take steps to avoid doing so, which logically means that there must be a threshold which subscribers can ensure they do not go over. All this suggests that I see real merit in this suggestion, and we would therefore like to accept this amendment. Amendment 107 suggests essentially a consequential change to the requirements for the contents of the code. This amendment seems essentially reasonable, but we will need to think about the precise wording required. Consequently, I suggest that we take this one away and consider it further. On that basis, I hope the noble Lord will feel able to withdraw Amendment 107.