A new marketplace for rights to streamline copyright licensing and make transactions easier for all those involved has been suggested in an independent report conducted by Richard Hooper.

Hooper, deputy chairman of OFCOM between 2002 and 2005 and former chairman of the independent review of the Postal Services Sector, is currently senior independent director at YELL and VocaLink.

His report, ‘Copyright works’, is the final act in his study on the feasibility of developing a ‘Digital Copyright Exchange’ following his appointment in November 2011.

Amongst his suggestions is to form a not-for-profit industry led and funded ‘Copyright Hub’.

Hooper is also championing a steering group to push forward and managed the design and implementation of the new venture.

‘If the UK is to maintain and improve its position as world leader in the creative industries then it needs an efficient and responsive system to manage the use of creative rights,’ Hooper says.

‘Setting up an industry-led and industry-funded Copyright Hub will help maximise the potential for creators and rights owners on the supply side and the wide range of licensees and users on the demand side.’

Hooper believes that creating a single marketplace for copyright licensing will both reduce the costs associated with the process and make simpler a ‘complex system’ that can be hard to navigate as well as bringing together the key players in the space.

The creation of a ‘Copyright Hub’ will be, the study suggests, one of the authoritative places where prospective users of what it call orphan works can go to show they have conducted reasonable due diligence.

Business secretary Vince Cable comments, ‘Richard Hooper has put forward a detailed and thoughtful report, with recommendations for industry in the government.

‘We will support the further work he recommends and, working alongside the industry, look forward to building the long term consensus to deliver this vision.’