What is the
All Party
Writers Group?

The All Party Writers Group (APWG) was established in November 2007. All party groups allow MPs and Lords from all sides of the political spectrum to keep both government and opposition parties informed on specific policy issues, taking on board opinions from both within and outside Parliament.

The All Party Writers Group’s aims are:

1

To represent the interests of all writers

2

To safeguard their intellectual property rights

3

To ensure they receive a fair level of recognition and reward for their contribution to the economy and society as a whole

Among the issues it has tackled since it was established, the APWG has:

Undertook an inquiry on authors’ earnings and presented findings with necessary policy actions for the Government to support authors

Examined the issue of illegal downloading via peer-to-peer file sharing networks

Lobbied for the maintenance of PLR payments at current levels

Provided journalists with an opportunity to raise concerns over contractual terms and practices with the secretary of state for culture

Reviewed government proposals for new copyright exceptions, notably those relating to private copying and education

Encouraged the extension of the current PLR scheme to include audio-books and e-books in line with the provisions of the Digital Economy Act 2010 and Digital Economy Act 2017 which extended coverage to remote loans of ebooks