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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

I agree entirely with the concerns of the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, as to the nature of the licensing bodies. As with so much else in the Bill, there are endless questions to be answered about the make-up, numbers and priorities of the bodies, not least the difference between commercial and other organisations as mentioned by the noble Lord. How many authorisations does the Minister anticipate making in the first round? Are we looking at a few large bodies or will there be numerous smaller ones? Will there be any sort of review process to establish whether an authorised body is operating well or will the Secretary of State rely on industry complaints to identify a problem? Noble Lords are also right to highlight the conflict of interest that might well arise if an authorised body’s primary concern is to make available as much material as possible. In no way should those provisions be used as a convenient route around a reclusive or unco-operative copyright owner who has no wish to license his material out or engage in a discussion with a licensing body. Amendment 273 was suggested by the British Library, which had some understandable concerns about this mysterious person who would be issuing guidance. It wanted to ensure that the guidance will be produced by someone with an understanding of public and private interests and so be able to produce a balanced view. I hope the Minister will take this opportunity to give a little more explanation as to what this guidance might consist of.