Hunt: We wont repeal DEB

In what will be welcome news for some but a perceived blow to civil rights to others, the serving culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has told paidContent that his government has no intention of repealing the Digital Economy Bill.

The news will be all the more disappointing for the many groups who campaigned against the legislation as Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg vowed to repeal the bill before his party formed a coalition government with the Conservatives.

Hunt says that government will instead monitor how the DEB performs and take action on any perceived problems.

The Digital Economy Bill was passed in April as the Labour government neared the end of its tenure. The most controversial of its inclusions was the provision for a ‘three strikes’ ruling similar to the one that today came into effect in Ireland.

Though trade bodies such as ELSPA and the VSC welcomed the legislation for the protection it offers IP holders, public rights groups and even business leaders claimed the proposals were an affront to digital freedoms.