Consultations on copyright legislation has started
Georgetown, GINA, June 26, 2016
Consultations on Copy Right legislation have commenced with both government and private sector stakeholders. This is to provide a better environment for people in the creative arts industries.
This was disclosed by Advisor on Cultural Policy, Ruel Johnson, in an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA). Johnson stated that in order to create an environment that is healthy for people in the creative industries, “The first thing that we have to tackle is legislation, copyright legislation.”
Johnson said that he has consulted with both government entities and private stakeholder groupings. The aim he noted is to create a working group of people who would deal specifically with the copyright legislation.
Johnson says he is looking at interventions that can be made over both short and long terms periods. However, even though copyright legislation is on the front burner, if creative artistes are to be fully catered for, other types of legislation must be taken into account.
Taking the legislative aspect into consideration, Johnson related to GINA that he has been in contact with the Commercial Registry, the Ministry of Business, the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.
“Now we are also going to be looking at general intellectual property legislation that deals with everything from business branding, packets, to protecting indigenous cultural knowledge, traditional knowledge that doesn’t quite come under copyright but it comes under protected intellectual property,” Johnson explained.
Once the consultations are complete and consensus is reached, the legislation for providing adequate grounds for creative artist will be realized. The copyright laws will help to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can be encouraged and allowed to flourish.
The laws will provide the opportunity for the producers and creators of various works to profit financially from their efforts, which will be formally recognized. This includes literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works, sound recordings, films, broadcasts and cable programmes.
The copyright law should have provision which speaks to reproduction of any work by an artiste without the permission of the owner of the copyright who is often the author but may be the publisher, broadcaster or other person. If the need arises, persons will be required a pay a fee as a price for giving their consent. These fees vary in different circumstances.