Despite the recent amendments made to the Copyright Act via the Copyright (Amendment) Act 1998, the government has indicated that further changes will be made to "substantially improve protection on the Internet for many important industries."
At the 18th International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) Asia Pacific regional council meeting, Minister for Law Professor S. Jayakumar said that the amendments would give cyber-authors better protection, thereby encouraging them to publish on the Net. At the same time, users would still have legitimate and reasonable access to copyright materials on the Internet. As it stands, our copyright laws do not specifically address Internet-related works.
Professor Jayakumar said that the rationale for the changes is that our copyright laws have to constantly be tailored to fit the advances in technology. It is very easy to download and transfer audio files in formats such as MP3, .wav and RealNetworks, which has in turn led to a proliferation of illegal copies available free on the Net. At present, an estimated US$1 billion of sales is lost every year by the music industry as a result of new technology which allows users to download music from the Net illegally.
This has naturally caused an uproar in the record and music publishing industries. However, according to Singapore Phonogram and Videogram Association ("SPVA") CEO Chee Chun Woei, the existing procedures for enforcement and raiding under the Copyright Act are too onerous for there to be efficient system to clamp down music pirates. He added that it could take from two days to one month to get all the relevant documentation before a raid could be conducted.
Fortunately, the proposed amendments will also "liberalise some existing restraints in the enforcement of copyright", said Professor Jayakumar.
Perhaps the lesson learned from all this is that prevention is better than cure, which is why SPVA is working with the Trade Development Board to extend public education on piracy to schools. Hopefully, teaching our children that piracy should be stopped will reduce the rampancy of illegal copying and distribution of infringing materials in the future.
