[Gov't signs agreement with JAMCOPY]
THE GOVERNMENT and the Jamaica Copyright Licensing Agency (JAMCOPY), have signed an agreement, allowing public sector workers in Government agencies to make legal photocopies of specified parts of published works.
Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology and Shirley Carby, Chairman of JAMCOPY and Managing Director of Carlong Publishers, signed the agreement at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston last Friday.
Mrs. Carby explained that the published works were the intellectual property of authors and publishers, as recorded in books, magazines, journals, newspapers and other forms of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic expression in print.
She said the licence did not permit photocopying of entire publications, as this would jeopardise sales of published editions, from which authors and publishers make their living.
"Rather, the intention is to permit access to limited portions of work, while providing creators of those works with some remuneration for that access. The licence also does not permit photocopying for sale but the portions copied should be for the private internal use of the organisation," Mrs. Carby said.
JAMCOPY was established in 1998 by Jamaican authors and publishers to manage their reprographic reproduction rights, as presently, there was widespread illegal photocopying of copyrighted works across Jamaica, for which the copyright owners received no remuneration.
Reprographic reproduction includes photocopying, xerography, faxing, copyrighting, copying by computer and word processor, typing, stenciling, transcribing by hand and drawing or tracing.
JAMCOPY is the first Reproduction Rights Organisation (RRO) to be established in Jamaica and the Caribbean.
Mrs. Carby commended the Government for its enlightened approach and leadership in the Latin American and Caribbean region in setting up a modern intellectual property regime in Jamaica, which began with the enactment of the Jamaican Copyright (Amendment) Act of 1993.
"Through the sterling efforts of the copyright Unit of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Technology, they began to educate the public in general about the provisions of the law and the need for compliance," she said.
She said the proceeds from the licence ($4.5 million) would be used to establish a permanent operational infrastructure for JAMCOPY, including the maintenance of an office, the recruitment and training of staff, as well as the acquisition of equipment and software, among other things.
In his address, Minister Paulwell said the agreement marked another important step in the Government's commitment to implement appropriate measures to protect intellectual property and ensure that the owners of intellectual property were justly rewarded for their works.
He said in countries where copyright protection was not mature, users inevitably and often unwittingly, in the normal course of events, infringe copyright by copying material without a licence or permission from the copyright owner.
"We have now moved to correct this untenable situation. JAMCOPY has now been incorporated to enable rights owners to get their remuneration from persons who copy their works," Mr. Paulwell said.
"As Government, we must set the example of compliance with the Copyright Law, hence we are among the first to enter into licensing arrangements with JAMCOPY. This sets the pace for compliance by other potential licensees of JAMCOPY," he added.
The Minister pointed out that with the Government entering into an arrangement with JAMCOPY for a licence, it would not have to enter into another arrangement with respect to printed material with another RRO for the duration of the licence, as JAMCOPY would cover the national and international repertoire of such works.