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Strengthening creative copyright
22 June 2009
The Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences today said the Productivity Commission's recommendations to reduce copyright protection for publishers and authors were of great concern.
"The Productivity Commission recognises the important cultural benefits of support for the publishing industry and authors, but is concerned that it cannot quantify these benefits. Its recommendations for end of the territorial copyright protection and a new inquiry into direct subsidy of publishing and authors reflect the desire for more accurately informed policy," CHASS's Executive Director Helen O'Neil said today.
"The real environment for Australian creative industries is a fast changing, risky place. With major changes sweeping through publishing because of the internet and digital book and serial production, clarifying side effects of territorial copyright seems to be only one of the issues needing both commercial and government attention.
"There are pressing reasons to look at support for the creative industries in Australia, and to strengthen cultural policy, but setting a deadline for abolition of parallel import restrictions will not address them." O'Neil said.
CHASS is also concerned about the impact on educational publishing for Australian material, where technological change is already causing major uncertainty. Australia Council support for authors and publishing does not extend to education material.
CHASS recognises the need to keep downward pressure on book prices for Australian readers, students and libraries and to balance the cultural and creative benefits of copyright restrictions against affordable access to cultural, educational, and entertainment materials.
The Council for Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences has more than 100 member organisations covering universities, the learned academies, collecting institutions and professional associations and learned societies through the sector. The humanities, arts and social sciences are critically important to Australia. They play a key role in the national innovation system and underpin the development of our society, culture and individual identity. CHASS works towards greater recognition of people, projects and organisations working in the sector and to strengthen their capacity to contribute.
For further comment: Helen O'Neil, Executive Director, CHASS, (02) 6201 2740
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