Cameron Envisages Silicon Valley In East London
The government plans to attract high-tech visionaries and entrepreneurs to London’s Olympics site after 2012
Prime minister David Cameron has set out his vision for the East End of London after the Olympics in 2012.
He outlined a positive role for IT companies in the creation of the East End Tech City, a potential rival to Silicon Valley. Intel, Google and Facebook have all committed to opening research labs or innovation centres in the area and consulting firm McKinsey has also expressed an interest. Among other names mentioned were BT and Cisco.
Legacy Will Be An Innovation Hub
Google plans to open an Innovation Hub where its researchers will work with developers and academics on the creation of applications and services. Facebook already runs a Developer Garage programme in London but the new site will give it a permanent home and act as a bridge between talented British developers and entrepreneurs.
Vodafone has said that it will also help to develop an incubator for leading-edge ideas, with backing from its global innovation centres.
Google has pointed out the need for changes to the copyright law, pointing out that it would not have been possible for a company like itself to have been developed in the UK. Cameron has promised that he will review the current laws.
Announcing the plans to a gathering of business people and entrepreneurs, he repeated what Google had told him, “The service they provide depends on taking a snapshot of all the content on the Internet at any one time and they feel our copyright system is not as friendly to this sort of innovation as it is in the United States. Over there, they have what are called ‘fair-use’ provisions, which some people believe gives companies more breathing space to create new products and services.”
The promised review was welcomed by Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group (ORG). He said, “The Digital Economy Act left a massive hole of missing user rights, like personal copying and parody. It’s great to have the opportunity to make the case for modern copyright that works for citizens, artists and innovation.”
Cameron also said, “Our ambition is to bring together the creativity and energy of Shoreditch and the incredible possibilities of the Olympic Park to help make East London one of the world’s great technology centres.”
