Stories of copyright policy: The shift to an innovation agenda and what it might mean

Governments develop narratives, or themes, about what they are trying to achieve, and stakeholders who want law reform also employ stories and narratives to make their concerns resonate with a broader audience. This article is about narratives that work, and that don't work, in the copyright arena. It examines the failure of 'freedom of expression' to gain traction in government debates over copyright in 2004-2006, before turning to the increasing dominance of an Innovation and Digital Economy Agenda in discussions about copyright and intellectual property generally. Some implications of the Innovation Agenda are discussed.