The current focus of our work is on consumer rights and the digital economy, where a major battle is being waged between intellectual property (IP) rights holders, particularly music companies, and consumers.

Digital technology has made it easy for consumers share music over the internet, create their own play lists, and promote music from diverse sources, by-passing music companies distribution networks and royalty payment systems.

The industry has responded by introducing digital rights management (DRM) tools to police and restrict consumer use, conducting aggressive publicity campaigns, and taking legal actions against individual consumers.

Consumer groups have responded by mounting legal challenges to industry practices.

Digital technology provides enormous benefits to society. Attempts to prevent consumers making use of it are futile - like giving someone a spade and telling them they cannot use it for digging. New solutions are needed that provide a fair return to creative people and fair access to creative works for consumers.

New plans for the Gowers Review

Outline plans to take forward the Gowers Review were announced 8 January by the government's Intellectual Property Office, as a consultation was launched by Lord Triesman, Minister for Intellectual Property. Proposals include greater freedom for consumers to legally transfer music or films between, for example, CDs and an MP3 player - so-called 'format-shifting'.

NCC is pleased that part of the UK's copyright regime have been recognised as ripe for reform, but is concerned that any new measures must be fair to consumers, easily understoof and future-proof.

Click here to read our press release.

Click here to go to the Intellectual Property Office website.

Digital rights management (DRM)

DRMs include tracking devices to monitor the use of products such as computer software, which raise serious concerns about data protection and consumer privacy online, and the legitimacy of surveillance by private companies.

Devices which restrict consumer use of digital products. There may be limits on the number of copies consumers can make, or on the equipment that the product can be used on, for example some CDs will not play on computers or car stereos.

These raise even more serious issues as they dictate what consumers can do with the products they buy; they may prevent them from taking advantage of the fair use rights they have in IP law and regardless of whether IP owners rights are being infringed.