Jim Wretham | The National Archives blog

Posts by Jim Wretham

I am the Head of Information Policy at The National Archives. I have been involved in Crown copyright issues for what seems like a hundred years but is actually a mere twenty four. The main focus of my work is on the re-use of public sector information particularly on the European dimension as we have the UK lead on negotiating the terms of an amended version of the European Directive on the re-use of public sector information. Being based in Norfolk I’m naturally an avid Norwich City supporter, but when not cheering on the Canaries I enjoy reading Anthony Trollope’s novels and exploring the Norfolk Broads, although not necessarily at the same time.

2012 really seems to be the year of big royal anniversaries. Hot on the heels of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, July marks the centenary of Crown copyright. It was in 1912 that that the Copyright Act of 1911 came into force and the concept of Crown copyright first made an appearance on the statute books.

Catalogue reference: WORK 25/69/B1/PR/3

The phrase ‘Crown copyright’ probably conjures up shelves of Royal Decrees and ancient parchments gathering dust in government archives. Although that is partly the case – except that the archives at Kew are in pristine condition and are anything but dusty or fusty – Crown copyright covers a wealth of government documents, both published and unpublished, produced by ministers and civil servants. So the term encompasses a huge wealth of documents including the Highway Code, Ordnance Survey maps, weather charts produced by the Met Office, government reports, government statistics and most information published on government websites. It also covers minutes written by government ministers and civil servants. This article, indeed, is covered by Crown copyright.