8 questions – an Irish based digital legal content centre
I spoke to someone in Government about how we move the idea of an Irish based digital content services centre along, taking into account what we have discussed here on the blog. As a result, there are eight follow up questions to get this thing moving:
- What are the clear objectives of such a Centre?
- Why, specifically, Ireland as a location?
- What environment will it require (taxation, regulatory, technological) – i.e. what must Government or industry do to make it happen?
- What would be the cost, and to whom?
- What would be the benefit, in economic and social Impact?
- Can Ireland as a secure location which respects IPR be incorporated.
- As a parallel action, is it a good idea to consider how data centres here can tie into the digital content services hub?
- Should this be limited to legal services, or can it be wider in scope without harming the likelihood of it actually happening?
The Next Leap 
It seems to me that these threads are not being pursued as vigorously as in the past weeks.
I feel that the idea of e.g. an International Content (or Digital Media) Services Centre is an excellent idea. It should be global in scope. Rather than music, I have in mind far more the converging film/television/games/Internet sector with applications to distance learning, e-society, and new sectors in the culture industries.
An implication is that we should end analog television as soon as possible and not wait out the time up to 2012. In the US there has been a stay on this until June. We should instead move on this as soon as possible, because it will help – in a small way – with the distribution and delivery of content. We could map out other opportunities and benefits that will ensue.
A ‘centre’ can be distributed just as the IFSC was to begin with.
Fionn
Fionn Murtagh
04/02/2009 at 22:59
The company I run is an exemplar of a digital legal hub. We operate under an international treaty (Cape Town 2001) and all our transactions are on-line. If you buy, sell, lease or loan money for an aircraft you must register your interest with the International Registry (IR). The IR is based in Dublin and uses PKI and digital signatures to ensure that our records are useable in court. I would be very interested in joining discussions regarding this policy area.
Rob Cowan
19/02/2009 at 15:38
All,
I haven’t read the following yet but it seems well worth a close look:
Digital Britain: The Interim Report
(Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, UK)
Jan. 2009, 86 pp.
Click to access digital_britain_interimreportjan09.pdf
Fionn
Fionn Murtagh
26/02/2009 at 21:58
All,
I have been writing a summary of the interim report on Digital Britain.
I have also been summarizing a more complete report, with coverage of the software industry in Europe, the need for “mutualization” of infrastructure resource in support of universal access to fiber optic, the serious gaming sector, digital dividend, rights management, and so on, is France Numérique 2012 (Digital France 2012), Plan de développement de l’économie numérique, 79pp,, Oct. 2008. See
http://francenumerique2012.fr
It is worth a read.
Fionn
Fionn Murtagh
08/03/2009 at 10:58
Fionn, Thanks – someone at the IIEA has been looking into those reports.
By the way have you seen this?
http://www.yourtechstuff.com/techwire/2009/03/why-give-grants-to-tech-startups.html
(discussion following the SBP piece on Indecon’s report on SFI research)?
johnnyryan
10/03/2009 at 15:29
Fionn – cheers for bringing those reports up your post. We have sent invitations to both Lord Carter and Minister Eric Besson, and are working hard to bring both to the Institute.
– Ross
rossmcguire
18/03/2009 at 11:38