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Consultations & campaigns
The AOP's advocacy, campaigning and consultative work

The AOP has been a campaigning body since its inception as AFAP (Association of Fashion and Advertising Photographers) in 1968, when photographers got together and spoke as a united voice against model agencies and their fees. There have been a number of victories, but none greater than the change in legislation which resulted in the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, and more recently, the removal of Clause 43 (Orphan Works) from the Digital Economy Bill. Our work continues, addressing the challenges presented by a proposed extended text and data mining exception as well as to the accelerating impact of A.I. on creators' lives.

Every victory depends on our working with other like-minded groups such as

Representation is made to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), or the relevant Government department, when consultation is sought on proposed legislation which may affect photographers and their livelihoods, and when draft legislation is circulated for comment.

Where necessary, we lobby and issue briefings when legislation is debated through the Houses of Parliament (Commons and Lords).

We are building a range of 'position papers', which you can access below and which set out our official opinion on a range of topics of interest.

AOP Position Papers - our views on...

Downloads

These are PDFs (in the main) of official responses from us to various Government consultations or Open Letters on matters of importance.

CVAN A-N AOP DACS Invest 2035 Government Consultation Response - 24 November 2024

CRA Open Letter to developers of generative-AI models - 7 August 2024

AOP New Policy Asks - An Agenda for Change for Photography - July 2024

AOP Open Letter to Adobe regarding Generative-AI and Photographers - 28 May 2024

AOP letter from DCMS on the impact of Generative-AI on photographers - 15 April 2024

AOP letter on the impact of Generative-AI on photographers - 12 March 2024

AOP response to Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) consultation on Generative AI and Data Protection - Chapter 1 - 1 March 2024

AOP response to Dept for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and the Office for AI Consultation on AI Regulation - 21 June 2023

AOP response to DCMS Call for Views on regulation of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the blockchain - 6 January 2023

AOP supplemental response to IPO on proposed Text & Data Mining Exception - 5 October 2022

AOP response to IPO Consultation on Artificial Intelligence, Copyright and Patents - 17 January 2022

AOP open letter regarding Business Interruption claims - 6 March 2021

AOP response to IPO Call for Views on Artificial Intelligence and copyright - 30 November 2020

AOP response to IPO Call for Views on Enforcement of IP rights - 9 November 2020

Creators' Rights Alliance - AOP co-signatory - letter to Chancellor - 29 October 2020

AOP letter to Future Publishing and reply - 25 August 2020

AOP response to Treasury Committee Call for Evidence on Economic Impact of Coronavirus - 26 June 2020

AOP letter to Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP on Government Covid support packages - 15 April 2020

AOP response to HM Gov Call for Evidence on economic impact of coronavirus - 23 March 2020

AOP letter to Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP on government Covid support - 11 March 2020

BCC response to WIPO's first draft of issues concerning copyright/IP and artificial intelligence - February 2020

BCC response to consultation by the Department for International Trade on a future UK-Japan trade deal - November 2019

BCC response to IPO's Call for Evidence and post-implementation review of the 2014 changes to copyright legislation in the UK - May 2019

AOP briefing paper on EU Copyright Directive - August 2018

AOP response to IPO's Call for Views on the White Paper on Industrial Strategy - November 2017

BCC response to IPO's Call for Views on the European Commission’s draft legislation to modernise the European copyright framework. The AOP contributed to this response, along with other members of the BCC - December 2016

AOP response to IPO consultation on amendments to Schedule 1 and regulation 16 of the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1998 - September 2016

AOP response to EU consultation on the role of publishers in the copyright value chain and the 'panorama exception' to copyright - June 2016

AOP briefing paper to UK Govt. DCMS roundtable meeting on EU consultation on publishers' role in copyright value chain and 'panorama' exception - April 2016

AOP response to UK Govt. consultation on transitional arrangements for the repeal of §52 of the CDPA 1988 - December 2015

Threat to Payback - Letter from AOP, AOI, EPUK,DACS and NUJ - November 2014

BPC response to copyright exceptions, Lords debate - July 2014

Orphan Works consultation reply form - February 2014

Technical consultation on extended collective licensing - January 2014

AOP response to draft legislation for a new exception for private copying - July 2013

AOP response to repeal of §52 of the CDPA 1988 - November 2013

AOP response to draft legislation for a new exception for parody - July 2013

AOP response to draft legislation for a new exception for quotation - July 2013

AOP response to proposed changes to child model licenses - August 2012

AOP response to DCE Feasibility consultation - April 2012

AOP response to PCC Small Claims track - call for evidence - April 2012

AOP reply to the UK Govt.'s response to the Hargreaves Copyright Consultation - March 2012

AOP response to the Hargreaves Review on IP Report - May 2011

AOP submission to the Hargreaves Review on IP - March 2011

AOP response to Hargreaves' Call For Evidence - March 2011

AOP campaigning update: Orphan Works; Protection of IP Rights Online Inquiry; Independent Review of IP and Growth - December 2010

AOP Presentation to the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property (SABIP) on Moral Rights - March 2010

AOP briefing on Digital Economy Bill - Report Stage - February 2010

AOP briefing paper for the Lord Puttnam ref the Digital Economy Bill - December 2009

AOP response to the UK Govt.'s request for information regarding the Attribution Right Assertion formality - August 2009

AOP response to the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property (SABIP) on Strategic Priorities for Copyright - May 2009

AOP response to 'Copyright - The Future; Developing a Copyright Agenda for the 21st century' consultation - February 2009

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