The games industry in the UK has been outraged by plans announced
by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Stephen Byers. In
a joint initiative with Sweden, he hopes to lobby for reform of
trade mark legislation, and the legalisation of so-called grey
trading.
Grey trading is the term given to the way in which the pricing
and availability of goods in different markets can be exploited by
importers, and the European Leisure Software Publishers Association
(ELSPA) says its legalisation would seriously threaten both games
developers and publishers in the UK. Computer games could be
legally imported before their official release in the UK.
ELSPA director Roger Bennett is quoted by TheRegister.co.uk as
saying, “I am irate, it seems like pandering to the big supermarket
requirement to buy at the cheapest rate”. Mr Bennett fears that the
plans could drain creativity in the games industry with the level
of investment in creative development decreasing. This may lead to
the developers moving overseas. Mr Bennett concludes that “the UK
would become no more than a retail base”.
The government defends its plans by stating that consumers will
benefit by the removal of distribution restrictions, however ELSPA
will continue to put forward evidence that the proposals will harm
UK industry.
