Stephen Gower
By email to: [FOI #3109 email]
17 October 2008
Dear Mr Gower
Freedom of information request – RFI20081039
Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”) dated 18
September 2008 in which you requested:
“Please let me know the status of the Creative Archive Licence project in the BBC, details of which
are at http://creativearchive.bbc.co.uk/ but apparently last updated two years ago on the 18th
September 2006. I am particularly requesting the most recent documents relating to this, and any
report or similar from the Pilot project.”
In response to your request:
The Creative Archive pilot project concluded in September 2006. The project’s remit was to
investigate the feasibility of giving BBC programme assets (predominantly clips) to the public for their
own private use. One of the largest issues facing the project was obtaining the necessary intellectual
property rights clearances, including rights held by scriptwriters, musicians, actors doing voiceovers,
and footage acquired from external agencies. During the pilot it was not uncommon for rights holders
to decline permission to use their content for the purposes of the project.
The end of the Creative Archive pilot coincided with the start of a much larger project, the BBC
Archive trial, with a wider remit looking at how the BBC could release whole programmes for
watching and listening purposes only. It was decided to wait for this Archive trial to conclude in order
for the BBC to assess the Creative Archive and formulate its overall archive strategy. The strategy is
currently being developed by Roly Keating, who has recently been appointed to the role of Director
of Archive Content:
www.bbc.co.uk/foi/docs/speeches/press_releases2008/PR_Roly_Keating_appointed_as_Director_of_A
rchive_Content_22_07_08.htm
As requested, please find attached a report from March 2007 on the Creative Archive pilot. We have
redacted the report on the first and last slides to remove the name and contact details of a member
of staff who has now left the BBC because this is personal information. Personal information about
living individuals is exempt under the Freedom of Information Act if disclosure to a third party would
breach one or more principles of the Data Protection Act 1998. As this individual, who previously
worked at the BBC, would not have expected their identity as the author of the document to be
made public, to do so would be unfair; therefore, disclosure would breach the First Data Protection
Principle, fairness. We can confirm that we do not hold any other relevant documentation.
You may be interested to know that, whilst we are working to formulate an overall archive strategy,
we publish blogs on our archive activities from time to time, such as the archive team's recent
contribution to the BBC Internet Blog:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/10/forgotten_gems_bbc_archive.html
We hope you find this information useful.
Appeal Rights
If you are not satisfied with this response you have the right to an internal review by a BBC senior
manager or legal adviser. Please contact us at the address above, explaining what you would like us to
review and including your reference number. If you are not satisfied with the internal review, you can
appeal to the Information Commissioner. The contact details are: Information Commissioner's Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545 700 or see
http://www.ico.gov.uk/
Yours sincerely
L. Stiller
Legal and Business Affairs Manager
BBC Future Media & Technology
