Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what routes of recourse exists for writers whose work has been uploaded as pirated material to a database without their consent or knowledge of the authors (a) against the database owners and (b) against any corporations or third parties that have used that database.

The Government is committed to ensuring a fair and balanced IP system and the protection of IP rights. The UK has a robust framework in place to protect IP rights, which includes both civil and criminal enforcement measures.

Right owners can report IP crime by contacting Trading Standards. They may also consider alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, like mediation, or taking legal action before courts.

With respect to online databases, the Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002 requires platforms to disable or remove IP infringing content that they become aware of or risk legal action.