Guyanese musicians ask Culture Minister for meeting on copyright law reform

Last Updated on Saturday, 28 September 2024, 19:57 by Writer

Just two days after government unequivocally committed to modern copyright legislation, two Guyanese musicians on Saturday formally asked Minister of Culture Charles Ramson for a meeting to discuss copyright reform.

Jackie “Jackie Jaxx” Hanover and Ivan “D’Ivan” Harry, in their September 28, 2024 letter to the minister, said they also want to discuss other issues affecting the music industry in Guyana.

They reportedly informed Minister Ramson, that they want to meet with him to discuss how Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo’s declared
commitment to protect the rights of local artistes could be made a reality.

In their letter, Jaxx and D’Ivan noted that they are creative professionals who face numerous challenges due to insufficient intellectual property protections. “They are deeply concerned about the lack of robust mechanisms to safeguard the rights of Guyanese artists and content creators,” they said in a joint statement.

The duo recently filed a US$1.6 million lawsuit in a United States court against One Communications, formerly GTT, and Guyanese singer, Tennicia “Nekeita” De Freitas for breach of copyright and related damages by the unauthorised use of two of their songs whose copyrights are registered in the U.S. Speaking about her pending lawsuit against One Communications and Nekeita, Jaxx has said “My hope is that this
lawsuit will force corporate entities to show respect for song writers and content creators by implementing proper copyright clearance policies for all works used at their events”.

Guyana’s copyright legislation is the 1956 British Copyright Act that Guyana adopted on becoming independent in 1966.

Jaxx and D’Ivan contend in their letter to Minister Ramson, that rapid evolution of the global creative economy, create an urgent need for Guyana to modernize its copyright laws and policies to ensure local artistes are protected and empowered to meaningfully contribute to national development.

Jaxx and D’Ivan’s copyright lawsuit over alleged infringement of their songs “Guyana” and “Oh Guyana”, has created a buzz among local artistes, fans and users of creative content. It caught the attention of Vice President and former President Bharrat Jagdeo who conceded that the time has come for modern copyright legislation.

“I believe our artistes should be protected”, Vice President Jagdeo was reported as having said at his weekly press conference on September 26, 2024. Jaxx and D’Ivan view this as a welcome development.