Clive Davenport
Dr Francis Gurry
Ralph Weedon
Frances Lowe
Justin Chantrey
London, 3rd May 2013, The British Copyright Council (BCC) today announced the selection panel for the Independent Code Reviewer for UK Collective Management Organisations (CMOs).
The selection of an Independent Code Reviewer is part of a self-regulatory process put in place by the UK’s CMOs to ensure that each complies with its code(s) of conduct. These codes may be member or rights holder facing and/or user or licensee facing.
The majority of UK CMOs are members of the BCC which oversaw the development of a framework document “Principles for Collective Management Organisations’ Codes of Conduct” which has been endorsed by the full BCC and adopted by CMOs. Using the Principles, each CMO has now developed and published its own code which includes scrutiny by an Independent Code Reviewer. The purpose of the Reviewer is to test codes against the BCC’s Principles and against the IPOs Minimum Standards and to ensure that CMOs are complying with their own codes.
The Selection Panel for the Independent Code Reviewer held its first meeting on 30th May. The Reviewer will be selected through an open process, following the ‘Nolan Principles’ and The Public Appointments Commission’s selection criteria. The Panel will prepare a full person and role profile.
Panel members were chosen to represent the interests of both rights holders and users.
They are:-
Justin Chantrey
Commercial Director – Collins Learning. Justin is also Head of Financial Planning at Warner Music UK and was chosen through the BCC by its publisher members to representing publisher interests on the selection panel.
Clive Davenport
Chairman, Trade and Industry, Federation of Small Businesses and chosen by user interests involved with the IPO Codes Working Group to represent licensees on the selection panel.
John Toner
National Freelance Organiser, National Union of Journalists. John is also Vice-Chairman, Creators’ Rights Alliance and Joint Chairman of the International Federation of Journalists Freelance Rights Experts Group. John was chosen through the BCC by its creator and performer members to represent creator and performer interests on the selection panel.
Frances Lowe
Head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, PRS for Music. Frances is also a Director of the BCC, Chairman of the Rights Committee of UK Music and is a member of GESAC, the European Grouping of Composers’ and Authors’ Societies. Chosen through the BCC’s Working Group on Principles of Good Practice to represent CMO’s on the selection panel.
Ralph Weedon
Information Governance and Compliance Manager, Information Management Division, ISD and Director of Jisc Legal. Ralph is also a member of the Universities UK copyright group, Copyright Officer for the University of Strathclyde and ICO HE Sector Panel for FOI member. Chosen by user interests involved with the IPO Codes Working Group to represent user bodies – including but not limited to those operating in the educational sector.
Also joining the panel at its meetings are Kevin Fitzgerald, CEO of the Copyright Licensing Agency and Chairman of the BCC’s Working Group on Principles of Good Practice who will attend as non-voting Convenor and Nadia Vally, Senior Policy Officer at the IPO, also non-voting and attending as an Observer.
The Code Reviewer will be appointed for one review period and will start his/her first review in November 2013, one year after CMO’s launched their Codes. A Code Review will then take place every three years thereafter, with the Code Reviewer taking evidence directly from Ombudsman Services, IPO, BCC, CMOs, user bodies and other interested parties. The Code Reviewer will then publish his/her findings in a public report.