The curse of Brexit strikes again – this time it’s hitting the UK book industry

Copyright protection is crucial for UK authors who sell their works abroad, writes Rabina Khan. A change to the law could cost Britain’s publishing industry up to 25 per cent of its print revenue

‘Brexit is now bringing a particular type of curse to the world of books’ (Getty Images)

Brexit resulted in a border in the middle of the Irish Sea, UK residents not being able to travel, or live, in mainland Europe red-tape free, and sizeable parts of Kent being turned into permanent lorry parks.

Brexit is now bringing a particular type of curse to the world of books. Following the end of the Brexit transition period on 1 January 2021, the UK no longer participates in the EU’s regional exhaustion of IP rights system.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) consultation on the UK’s future copyright exhaustion regime is now facing uncertainty. The government’s consultation, launched on 7 June 2021, is considering weakening the current copyright rules, which will impact the economy and, as the Save Our Books campaign states, will result in “fewer books, by fewer authors, for fewer readers.”