Lord Faulks (Non-Afl)

My Lords, I have very little to add because I entirely support all these amendments. I am always concerned when I see the words “lack of clarity” in a context like this. The basic principle of copyright law, whereby one provides a licence and is paid for that licence by agreement, has been well established. There is no need for any further clarity in this context, as in earlier contexts of copyright law. I should declare an interest as the chairman of IPSO, the regulator of 95% of the printed news media and its online versions. I have been impressed by the News Media Association’s briefings. It has identified important issues. I am extremely concerned about what appears to have been a considerable amount of lobbying by big tech in this area. It reminds me of what took place when your Lordships’ House considered the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill. A low point for me was when we were told that it would be very difficult to establish a proper system otherwise Google’s human rights would be somehow infringed. It is extremely important that this so-called balance does not mean that those who create original material protected by the copyright Acts have their rights violated in order to satisfy the interests of big tech.