ABSTRACT

The various facets of intellectual property 'particular discourses, regulation and laws' have been central in evaluating popular music within the audio-visual industries. This chapter examines how New Zealand, Scotland, Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) are dealing with intellectual property with respect to their own legislative and legal histories, current challenges, and, the increasing pressures of globalised internet provider forums and agreements. It investigates the continual interplay between the law, federal parliament and local industries. The chapter focuses on the range of legislation enacted in the 1990s and 2000s that placed popular music at the centre of debates about piracy and national sovereignty. There are three striking aspects to recent UK copyright law in relation to music: the role of technology, the emergence of the digital age, and the role of the European Union (EU). The chapter also includes key points of the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property.