(d) meets the needs of owners and users whatever the scale of their business. Chapter 7 of the Act deals with licensing schemes and licensing bodies and has been described as being ‘byzantine’ in its complexity. It is aimed at

For this purpose a group of companies means a holding company and its subsidiaries, within the meaning of s 736 of the Companies Act 1985.

Section 117: Licensing schemes to which ss 118 to 123 apply

Sections 118-23 (references and applications with respect to licensing schemes) apply to:

(a) licensing schemes operated by licensing bodies in relation to the copyright in literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works or films (or film soundtracks when accompanying a film) which cover works of more than one author, so far as they relate to licences for:

(1) copying the work;

(2) performing, playing or showing the work in public; or

(3) broadcasting the work or including it in a cable programme service;

(b) all licensing schemes in relation to the copyright in sound recordings (other than film sound-tracks when accompanying a film), broadcasts or cable programmes, or the typographical arrangement of published editions; and

(c) all licensing schemes in relation to the copyright in sound recordings, films or computer programs so far as they relate to licences for the rental of copies to the public;

and in those sections ‘licensing scheme’ means a licensing scheme of any of those descriptions.