Commission Takes Action on Piracy LexisNexisB. Academic: Document

In this article the European Economic Community council of ministers gives support for audio visual anti-piracy measures. In certain countries such as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom piracy is on the decline because of the strict penalties that have been adopted but piracy from outside countries continues to be a problem. One of these problems is the illegal copying of compact disks using technology known as DAT or Digital Audio Tape machines. Japanese manufacturers began to launch these machines all across Europe. According to the International Federation of Phonogram and Videogram producers (IFPI) a problem with expired copyright works in Denmark could cause pirating problems for other EEC countries.

According to the article many countries began to propose legislation to combat the piracy. The Dutch for instance introduced a levy on the sale of blank video and audio tapes. The Cultural Commisioner gave proposals for anti-piracy penalties. Other proposals included ways to find and get rid of pirate material, a framework of cooperation between the copyright holders and authorities, and a computerised register of audio visual work. In the UK the illicit sale of cassette tapes has declined due to a rapid decrease in prices. Other countries have implemented prison sentences for up to two years.

The major problem with the music industry is the use of DAT machines because of their ability to make perfect copies of compact disks in a short amount of time. The music industry wants all imported machines to have an anti-copying device, but the commission does not necessarily agree with the proposal. The commission does not want to put something into place that will ban legitimate copying.

In Denmark a record company known as All Round Trading are exporting unauthorized cds because of the expired copyright problem mentioned earlier in the article. Certain disks in Denmark were only covered under copyright for 25 years and are now unprotected, but in other countries the disks are still under copyright law. The record company argues that since the disks are on sale in one EEC country they can freely be exported to other EEC states under the Treaty of Rome which allows for the free movement of goods. The Commission believes that the action is clearly illegal whereas the IFPI believes that the case may need to go to court in order to be clarified.

This article makes reference to early music piracy and strategies that were implemented in different countries to help combat the problem.

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Commission Takes Action on Piracy LexisNexisB. Academic: Document