To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to complete the implementation of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances.
Answered on
8 May 2025
This answer is a correction from the original answer.
The Government is considering options for ratifying the Beijing Treaty and will announce its intended approach in due course.
Original answer
The Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances is an international agreement to provide intellectual property rights in audiovisual performances. These include performances given by actors, musicians, dancers and other performers that are incorporated into films, television programmes and other audiovisual recordings. The Treaty sets out common standards of protection for audiovisual performances as well as optional provisions which countries can choose how or whether to implement. UK law meets most of the standards required by the Treaty but some areas require domestic legislative changes.
The Intellectual Property Office ran a public consultation on the options for joining the Beijing Treaty in November 2023, which followed an earlier call for views on the subject. We have prioritised other copyright-related work since the general election, but will submit advice on ratification of the treaty shortly.