Intellectual Property Rights and Local Authorities

Why are local authorities in the UK not generating income from their many intellectual property assets?

As a professional creator with years of experience in exploiting copyright, and as Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Social Inclusion between 2007 and 2009, Christian Vassie, worked with officers to change attitudes and working practices on income generation.

A city like York with a rich history dating back many hundreds of years should be generating revenue from its assets to help to maintain and preserve them. Why should commercial organisations feel they are allowed to use material from the city archive without paying a royalty on sales of, say, dvds or books?

Similarly, if York wants to help the 500 or so arts graduates emerging from the city's universities every year, should the council be helping artists develop careers based on generating long term income from copyright assets rather than simply spending small sums on sponsoring one off events?

As someone with a twenty year career in the arts, as as a member of the regional arts council, Christian is keen to see the city engage with intellectual property rights.

"In towns like Montreux in Switzerland you can wander into the tourist office," Christian says, "and find posters for all the jazz festivals that have been going on into Montreux for around 30 years. These posters are works of art. They celebrate the festival and Montreux itself and are no doubt hanging on walls all around the world. The sale of these posters year in year out generates an income for the town and for the artist. I want to see York follow this lead."

Culture is at the heart of what York offers the 3 million or more tourists who visit every year. Christian thinks it is high time we recognise the value of living artists as well as old buildings. It is about creating a vibrant exciting place to live, creating new jobs, and showing residents and tourists alike the range of talent there is in the city.

Intellectual property rights exist in a huge range of council activities, from educational or sports handbooks to the city archives and festival promotional material.

In a city that lives on its culture and its history it is high time the local authority led the way on generating an income from its IP assets.

Published and promoted by Christian Vassie, 10 Blake Court, Wheldrake, York YO19 6BT