Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013
 Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013  (law)   | |
|---|---|
| Type | legal document |
| Founded | 25 April 2013 |
| Author(s) | |
| UK law that expands copyright to pictures of "designer objects". | |
The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (c 24), also known as ERRA, is a major Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom aimed at reforming the regulatory environment faced by small and medium-sized business.
Significance
Under this law, people will be prohibited from taking photographs of certain classes of items unless they are licensed to do so. The changes to UK copyright law mean that you may need to take out a licence to photograph classic designer objects even if you own them. The law extends the copyright of artistic objects like designer chairs from 25 years after they were first marketed to 70 years after the creator's death. In most cases, that will be well over a hundred years after the object was designed. During that period, taking a photo of the item will often require a licence from the copyright owner regardless of who owns the particular object in question. [1]
They broad law obviously can't be enforced comprehensively, but the rights-holders can still cherry-pick which cases they fight. Thus the legislation becomes a weapon that rights-holders can use to precision-strike anyone with a smaller legal team than their own.
