David Amess (Cons, Southend, West) introduced a Bill to make further provision for the protection of copyright. 

He voiced his concern that peer-to-peer file sharing has “already had an enormous effect on British music sales”. He also talked about the problem of online copyright theft, or commercial piracy.  

Amess presented his Bill “to protect the work of the artists whose work we, as a nation, enjoy so much”. He noted he has taken heed of a number of the recommendations from the Gowers report on intellectual property.  

He went on to explain; “The Bill makes provision for the establishment of a national organisation that will monitor and enforce copyright law as related industries are currently doing for themselves”. 

He called for a “national online piracy investigation and enforcement unit, specifically to monitor and enforce online copyright theft”.

House of Commons

First reading: May 15 2007 [HC Bill 104]

Second reading: October 19 2007