Member

57: After Clause 132, insert the following new Clause— “Private copy levy on digital access(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision for the establishment of an annual private copy levy, to be levied when online digital content is accessed or stored.(2) Before making regulations under this section, the Secretary of State must consult such persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.(3) The provisions made under subsection (1) must include but are not limited to—(a) establishing governance arrangements to calculate the rate and application of the levy,(b) permitting relevant copyright collecting societies to collect and distribute monies raised by the levy to rightsholder funds, and(c) distributing any surplus funds raised by the levy for the purposes of funding arts and cultural initiatives in the United Kingdom.(4) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a draft of the statutory instrument containing regulations under subsection (1) within six months of the day on which this Act is passed and the regulations are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.(5) The Secretary of State must commission an annual transparency report on the operation of the levy.(6) The Secretary of State must lay the report made under subsection (5) before Parliament.”Member’s explanatory statement This amendment seeks to allow the Secretary of State to establish a private copy levy for digital content, with revenue distributed to rightsholder funds and cultural initiatives.