According to a progress report published on Tuesday, the deadline will be missed because the Copyright Directorate has been unable to fully analyse the 300 responses to its consultation document.
The Patent Office said in the progress report:
"We very much appreciate the efforts of respondents in formulating their views in such a generally clear way and in submitting them to us so promptly. However, the sheer volume of replies, together with the fact that many present detailed arguments and suggestions for alternative drafting, mean that the present analysis will not be completed quickly.
"A full and proper consideration of all the responses is our principal concern, and the natural consequence of this is that the deadline set by the Directive for implementation is no longer attainable. This is regrettable but also, we feel, unavoidable given the technical complexity of many of the issues involved and the degree of importance attached by certain respondents to some of the proposed changes to UK copyright law."
The Patent Office said it would "endeavour to implement the Directive by 31st March 2003."
The Patent Office's progress report can be found at:
www.patent.gov.uk/copy/notices/report.htm
The consultation document on the implementation of the Copyright Directive is available from:
www.patent.gov.uk/about/consultations/eccopyright/index.htm
