BREXIT Update: The UK has Left the EU

On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union under the terms of a negotiated Withdrawal Agreement concluded in accordance with Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, triggered by the UK back in 2017.

For now, the status quo remains as the Withdrawal Agreement establishes a transition period during which EU rules and regulations will continue to operate in the UK until 31 December 2020, but the country is no longer part of the EU institutions. Over the next 11 months the UK and the EU will negotiate their future relationship, most likely in the form of a free trade agreement. At the same time, the UK will also seek to formalize trading relationships with other nations, including the United States.

While it’s possible for the transition period to be extended, such a decision must be taken jointly by the EU and UK before 1 July 2020. Absent an agreement by the end of the transition period, the UK will revert to “third-country” status vis-à-vis the EU under the WTO trade arrangements.

In terms of copyright and enforcement, the UK will not implement the recent 2019 EU DSM Directives (Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market and the Directive on television and radio programmes) and the UK Government confirmed that any future changes to the UK copyright framework will be considered as part of the usual domestic policy process. However, continued reciprocal protection of copyright between the UK and the EU is assured by international copyright treaties, which both the UK and the EU are signatory.

Other EU laws, such as the Portability Regulation on ensuring the cross-border portability of online content services within the EU will cease to apply in the UK at the end of the transition period. The UK Government has already introduced legislation and issued guidance for UK rights holders on how UK copyright law will apply after the transition period, subject to any changes under the future UK-EU relationship.

IFTA continues to follow BREXIT and the post-BREXIT trade negotiations, including the UK’s participation in Creative Europe and how EU film and TV business practices will be affected.

Source：IFTA