What the Dickens is Copyright?

Celebrating 200 years of Charles Dickens; copyright education programme ‘What the Dickens’ was launched at the House of Commons on Tuesday night.

The programme, put together by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and the National Schools Partnership, aims to "inspire and encourage creative writing in schools" and underlines the continuing importance of copyright to writers and creators in the 21st century.

Zadie Smith, Maggie Gee, Mavis Cheek, Patrick Ness and Ruth Rendell were among the many writers who attended the launch along with a number of guests from the earlier Dickens wreath-laying ceremony including the Lord Mayor of London. Jim Dowd, MP for Lewisham West and Penge hosted the event, the House Speaker Rt Hon John Bercow MP was the special guest and Director of the Charles Dickens Museum, Dr Florian Schweizer, rounded off the speeches with details of Dickens’ own role in campaigning for copyright.

A large number of MPs and Lords attended the event in which Honorary Chair of ALCS, Maureen Duffy, also gave an impromptu speech to guests on the continuing importance of copyright to writers under increasingly difficult circumstances.

The celebrations took place after a morning of discussions about the future of copyright which occurred in a government adjournment debate on Intellectual Property led by Pete Wishart MP, vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Intellectual Property Group.

Speaking at Westminster Hall, Mr Wishart spoke of his concerns on the ‘devaluing' of copyright and a Governmental position ‘approaching something towards anti-copyright’, suggesting they avoid allowing ‘self-appointed digital rights champions’ to influence Government opinion.

He said: “The Government must hand out an olive branch to those who speak on behalf of the industry and the sector and try to get some of the issues resolved now.”

Mr Wishart also warned of the dangers of the recent educational exceptions which came up in the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) consultation on the Ian Hargreaves’ Independent Review of IP and Growth. He said that the exceptions are causing immense concern:

“If there was to be no reward for people supplying that material to schools and colleges, why on earth would they do that? They will not do it for nothing. We are in real danger here. It is not only the authors and the people who make those programmes who will lose out. The schoolchildren and students will lose out, too, unless we resolve the issue…”

Deputy Chief Executive of ALCS Barbara Hayes commented on Monday’s events:

“It was very heartening to see so many people attending Monday's launch. The debate on intellectual Property couldn’t have been more timely with the launch of ‘What the Dickens’ copyright education programme. Most will know that Charles Dickens, whose own work was bootlegged and sold unlawfully, was a huge champion of copyright. Many ALCS Members share the concerns of Mr Wishart, especially those working in the educational sectors whose work could be undermined by the some of the Government proposals”. 

More on this story:
What the Dickens? 
ALCS Copyright Education
7th February Government adjournment debate on Intellectual Property 
               

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