The BPI has welcomed the completion of the first round of trade negotiations between the UK and US governments.
The record industry body said the long-term interests of the business will be best served by promoting an environment "in which artists and creators can continue to thrive at home and their exports can flourish overseas".
As talks now turn to intellectual property (IP) issues, the BPI said a strong copyright regime will result in "greater creativity and economic growth", strengthening the UK’s music sector as a whole.
Given how hard the global Covid-19 emergency has hit the UK music sector, it's vital our government ensures we have the strongest possible IP regime to underpin our economic recovery
Geoff Taylor
BPI
BPI CEO Geoff Taylor said: “Policy makers here should be rightly proud of the UK’s outstanding copyright framework which is referred to internationally as a gold standard of copyright. It is one of the key drivers of the success of the UK’s creative industries, the fastest growing sector of the economy, contributing £111 billion annually in GVA.
"As trade talks continue, the ambition should be to work with our partners in the US to ensure there is no dilution of that framework, respecting the differences between the UK and US markets, and learning from best practice where relevant. Given how hard the global Covid-19 emergency has hit the UK music sector, it’s vital our government ensures we have the strongest possible IP regime to underpin our economic recovery. We look forward to engaging further with government as the talks progress into the second round.”
The BPI added that the UK’s existing rights and enforcement framework should be protected and strengthened in the course of trade negotiations, a view shared by its US counterparts.
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