David Cameron has appointed Mike Weatherley as his intellectual property adviser.
Weatherley has developed a pretty impressive CV over the years, from which one would assume he has strong connections with the music industry. Before assuming office in 2010, Weatherley was the financial director of record producer Pete Waterman’s, and the Vice President of the Motion Picture Licencing Company.
After assuming office, Weatherley also spear headed the creation of the “Rock the House Competition”, a competition which sought to find the best live music venue in the UK in order to bring attention to issues affecting the music industry today. Including, issues regarding intellectual property.
However, Weatherley’s record is not completely clean. In his run for office, Weatherley made a clear and unequivocal promise to his constituency which he did not fulfill. The promise was to wear a shirt supporting the famous rock band “Iron Maiden” in the House of Commons.
Despite that fiasco, it seems to me that Weatherley might be well suited for this role. I worried slightly when I heard about his past as a financial director for a record producer that his outlook would be one which supports the financial industry rather than the independent artists. However, the Rock the House campaign seemed like a legitimate effort on his part to help the independent music scene. As always, only time will tell how effective he will be.
