Jonathan Griffiths, who specialises in intellectual property law at the Queen Mary, University of London, is participating in a discussion on Copyrights and Wrongs at the British Society on 27 October.
The controversial recent passage of the Digital Economy Bill brought issues of copyright in the digital era to the forefront of public attention. Digital media and the internet have made the sharing of texts, music and images easier than ever, and the enforcement of copyright restriction harder. This situation has encouraged the growth of IP law, and prompted increased industrial concentration on extending and 'policing' IP protection, while also leading to the growth of an 'open access', or 'creative commons' movement which challenges such control of knowledge and creativity. This panel discussion focuses on these issues and in particular on the impact of copyright on the arts and authorship in the fast-changing digital era. It is jointly hosted by the British Academy and London Centre for the Arts and Cultural Exchange, as part of LCACE's 2010 Inside Out Festival.