End Crown Copyright for Government Works

Summary#

This bill would end Crown copyright for works made by or under the control of the Crown or any government department. It replaces Section 12 of the Copyright Act so that no copyright exists in those works. It also ends any existing Crown copyright on the day the Act comes into force, without affecting other rights or privileges of the Crown (Bill: Section 12 replacement; Transitional provision).

• Ends copyright for works prepared or published by or under the direction or control of His Majesty or any government department (Bill: Section 12 replacement).
• Lets anyone copy, share, adapt, and sell those works without permission or fees (Bill: Section 12 replacement).
• Ends existing Crown copyrights on the day the Act takes effect (Transitional provision).
• Does not change any other rights or privileges of the Crown (both provisions say “without prejudice to any rights or privileges of the Crown”).

What it means for you#

• Households, students, educators:

  • You may copy, share, translate, and adapt covered works without asking for permission or paying fees, starting the day the Act comes into force (Bill: Section 12 replacement; Transitional provision).
  • You would not be legally required to provide attribution under copyright law for these works once the Act is in force (Bill: Section 12 replacement).

• Businesses and publishers:

  • You may republish, compile, or adapt covered works into products and services without licenses or royalties, once the Act takes effect (Bill: Section 12 replacement).
  • Existing Crown copyright notices on materials would no longer have legal effect after the Act comes into force (Transitional provision).

• Researchers and non-profits:

  • You may redistribute and modify covered works in reports, tools, and resources without seeking permission, after the Act takes effect (Bill: Section 12 replacement).

• Government departments:

  • You would no longer assert Crown copyright over covered works once the Act is in force. Existing Crown copyright in those works would end on that date (Transitional provision).
  • You may need to review and update publication notices, templates, and guidance to reflect that no copyright subsists in covered works (Bill: Section 12 replacement).

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• The bill contains no appropriations, fees, or penalties (Bill text).
• Data unavailable on administrative costs to update notices, systems, or guidance.
• Data unavailable on any change in licensing revenue or cost recovery tied to Crown copyright.

Proponents' View#

• It makes government-created or -controlled works free to use by everyone, removing permission steps and delays (Bill: Section 12 replacement).
• It applies to both past and future covered works, because existing Crown copyright would cease on the coming-into-force date (Transitional provision).
• It could reduce administrative work in departments, since “no copyright subsists” means there are no permissions or licenses to grant for covered works (Bill: Section 12 replacement).
• It preserves other rights or privileges of the Crown, which proponents may say limits risks unrelated to copyright (Bill language: “without prejudice to any rights or privileges of the Crown”).

Opponents' View#

• Loss of copyright control could allow altered or out-of-date versions of covered works to circulate without attribution, which may cause confusion (Bill: Section 12 replacement).
• Departments may face implementation work to review and change existing notices, templates, and contracts; the scale and cost are unknown (Data unavailable).
• Any licensing revenue or leverage tied to Crown copyright would end; the size of this impact is not stated (Data unavailable).
• The phrase “any government department” may raise questions about scope that will need guidance to avoid inconsistent application (Bill: Section 12 replacement).