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Are Digital Rights Bad for Business?

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This thought-provoking debate will argue that, far from being the most important issue facing media owners today, the single-minded protection of digital rights and intellectual property is bad for business and damaging to creative artists and producers. Presented in association with Tarlo Lyons.

Presented in association with Tarlo Lyons, the award-winning commercial law firm (www.tarlo-lyons.com).

Media owners are haunted by the legacy of Napster. The combination of peer-to-peer file-sharing applications and readily available technologies for the duplication of digital media formats has them running scared. Music sales have dropped sharply as consumers have (illegally) siezed the opportunity to take control of the reproduction and distribution of copyrighted material. The film & TV, games and software industries are also starting to suffer.

In a bid to protect precious intellectual property and prevent the loss of revenue, media company bosses are calling for new government regulation, improved anti-piracy technologies, increased prosecution of those guilty of copyright infringement, and taxation on file-swapping software, digital recording/playback devices and blank media. Clearly, the absolute protection of digital rights is the most important issue facing digital media companies today.

Or is it?

In this thought-provoking debate, David Stoughton will argue that the protection of digital rights at all costs is not only an impossible task, but also bad for business and damaging to the artists and creatives producing original content. David believes that by concentrating on the protection of digital rights, companies are ignoring the fundamentals of sound business and causing:

• Damage to customer relationships
• Direct damage to sales
• Longer-term damage to the supply of talent
• The willful stimulation of alternative and competing markets.

While maintaining that media owners are entitled to receive a return on their investments (and artists payment for their creative output), David will propose that clinging to existing copyright protection models is no longer the way to achieve these aims.

David's motion will be supported by invest consultant and professional musician Nigel Ross-Scott.

In response, Charles Brown will argue that copyright protection remains as crucial as ever, and state the case for improvements in technolgies, laws and processes for safeguarding the intellectual property of companies and individuals.

Charles's argument will be seconded by Adrian Gibby, an independent consultant working with clients in the fields of music, mobile communications and marketing.

Speakers

David Stoughton, Founding Director, enValue Ltd
David Stoughton made the transition from television production to digital media in 1989, becoming operations director of AIM, one of the first UK new media agencies. He established his own consultancy, DSA, in 1996. David has formal training in project and technology management, and has consulted on an extensive range of large digital projects.

David and business partner Michael Bayler founded enValue Ltd (formerly e-Value Partnership) in early 1999, to advise companies on how to make information make money, and provide strategy and planning for digital businesses. Together with NMK they have also developed a range of continuous professional development courses for digital media managers.

Charles Brown, Strategy, Media and Digital Communication Consultant
Charles Brown is an independent strategy, media and digital communication consultant with more than fifteen years experience in information technology, broadcasting, and new media. Between 1998 and 2001 Charles was director of strategy and co-founder of the iGroup, the eBusiness division of Computacenter, which he helped build into a business with revenues approaching £15 million per annum. At the iGroup, Charles helped pilot the development of advanced knowledge management, content management, and digital infrastructure technologies and numerous solutions for media, telecommunications, and industrial clients.

At iGroup, Charles was also closely involved in the development and implementation of eBusiness and digital media solutions for clients including Sanctuary Music Group and News Corporation, and worked closely with partners and clients including digital rights specialists Intertrust Technolgies, UK digital rights clearing house, Magex, Warner Music, Beggars Banquet, the Association for Independent Music, and Music Match. Charles currently advises clients on the effective management and exploitation of digital assets, communications channels and technologies.

Simon Stokes, Partner, Tarlo Lyons (Chair)
Simon Stokes is a partner and head of the Commercial Intellectual Property, Electronic Commerce and Digital Media practices at London law firm, Tarlo Lyons. Mr Stokes specialises in data privacy, electronic commerce/IT and commercial intellectual property law. His clients include major suppliers and consultancies in the media, e-commerce, EDI, chemical, financial and broadcasting sectors. He is news editor of the Computer and Telecommunications Law Review and an editorial board member of Electronic Business Law. He is also a member of the Licensing Executives Society, a member of the City of London Law Society Commercial Law Subcommittee and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Mr Stokes is the author of two books: Art & Copyright (Hart Publishing) and Digital Copyright: Law & Practice (Butterworths). He is a graduate of MIT and serves as Secretary and Counsel to the MIT Club of Great Britain.

Adrian Gibby, Independent Consultant
Adrian Gibby is an independent consultant working with clients in the fields of music, mobile communications and marketing. He also boasts wide experience of digital rights management and at Nokia was responsible for coordinating the company’s music development activities, helping the company learn how to make money of of music and mobile. An electronic engineer by training, Adrian joined Nokia in 1998. Adrian has also worked in artist management and has worked with artists and writers including Akira, Steve Levine (Louise) and Rob Davis (Kylie Minogue).

Presented in association with:

www.tarlo-lyons.com

Tarlo Lyons is a leading London law firm focused on delivering commercial solutions for technology driven business. Having developed one of the largest team of dedicated technology lawyers in the UK, the firm believes in leveraging the expertise and talent it has assembled to provide real benefits for clients. The firm's success is measured by the contribution it makes to clients' objectives, for which the ability to understand and work with technology is central. The development of an intelligent document generation system, DealMaker®, and a leading role as a founder member of euroITcounsel®, an association of technology-focused law firms covering 11 jurisdictions, demonstrate the firm's ability to innovate in order to optimise return for clients. With an increasing number of partners skilled in project management and risk management, the firm aims to deliver its services in a way which is efficient, leading edge and relevant to its clients. Those clients span global corporates, UK listed and unlisted corporates and entrepreneurial businesses and individuals, all of whom value the firms dedication to excellence in service delivery.

Presented in association with: UK Online for Business (www.ukonlineforbusiness.gov.uk)

Location

PSI