Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recommendations of the report by the Prime Minister’s intellectual property adviser, Mike Weatherley MP, what consideration is being given to the measures necessary to provide statutory underpinning of industry-wide codes and initiatives to tackle the funding of copyright infringement by advertisers and financial providers.

Government welcomes the work undertaken by Mike Weatherley MP in highlighting a ‘follow the money’ approach to assist in the battle against online Intellectual Property crime.

There is collective agreement across Government, industry and law enforcement that influencing intermediaries is an effective approach. Initiatives such as the Infringing Website List online portal and the Intellectual Property Office supported WhiteBullet Intellectual Property Infringement Index are at the early stages of implementation and offer flexibility that wouldn’t be achievable under a statutory approach.