Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact on UK creative industries exports in the event of international exhaustion regime being implemented following consultation by the Intellectual Property Office.

Answered by Paul Scully

The Government recently held a consultation on the UK’s future exhaustion of intellectual property rights regime. The Government is currently assessing consultation responses. and will provide an update on this consultation in due course.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has had discussions with or issued guidance to the Performing Rights Society on their issuing of claims for payment from publicans and others for performance rights when premises were closed as a result of the covid-19 lockdown.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Neither the Secretary of State at this Department, nor Ministers at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy have had discussions with PRS for Music or issued guidance on this matter. The Government is aware that PRS for Music put in place measures at the start of the pandemic to ease licensing requirements at the time. The Government was not involved in these: licensing matters are private and commercial arrangements between PRS for Music and its licensees.