5D Copyright and Fair Dealing : The Sports Access Code
Shortly after the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 came into force and following legal proceedings between the BBC and Sky, broadcasters and large independent production companies agreed a code of conduct in relation to the use of each others' sports footage. This agreement was named the "Sports Access Code" and Channel 4 and Five are both signatories. This means that most sports footage cannot be fair dealt and can only be used in accordance with the provisions of the Sport Access Code. For detailed advice regarding the Sports Access Code, please refer to the legal and compliance department for advice.