Time for modern copyright law, governance system in Guyana – World Trade Center Georgetown

Last Updated on Thursday, 31 October 2024, 18:40 by Writer

Guyana needs an overhaul of its copyright act, the establishment organisation of creators and publishers and an organisation that would be responsible for the registration and management of rights, according to a recently conducted study by the World Trade Center Georgetown (WTCG).

Among the recommendations of the study are the preparation of a revamped and modernised Copyright Act; establishment of a Federation of Creative Industries of Guyana; establishment of a national equivalent of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and the promotion of stronger linkages with the tourism sector and the wider economy.

WTCG said the study identifies both the benefits and costs of a modern, comprehensive legal framework for copyright protection in Guyana. It also identifies the significant contribution that copyright makes to the economies of developing countries and highlights the potential impact of the cultural and creative industries on exports as well as the inter-relationship between technology and the orange (creative) economy.

A WTCG delegation presented a copy of a study it commissioned earlier this year on copyright laws in Guyana with special emphasis on trade in the creative industries sector, as it wrapped up its participation in the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) Member Forum in New York on Wednesday.

“The study was commissioned following consultations among local and international stakeholders in the field of Intellectual Property as well as reviews of copyright legislation in common law countries and current international best practices,” WTCG said in a statement.

The presentation of a summary of the study was made by Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Finance Director of WTCG Vasudeo Singh to WTCA Chairman John Drew. DDL holds the license for the World Trade Center Georgetown, Guyana.

WTCG Executive Director Wesley Kirton says copies of the study will be shared with the Government of Guyana and that an international conference on the issue of the creative industries will be hosted by the local World Trade Center Georgetown during the first half of next year.

The study was undertaken by Mr. Neville Bissember, currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Law at the University of Guyana and who has served in several international arenas including the Guyana Foreign Service, the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group in Brussels and the CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana.

Mr. Bissember holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) Degree from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Laws Degree from the University of London, London School of Economics and Political Science and was a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Massachusetts, USA.

The WTCA Forum, which opened in New York last Sunday, focused on a range of issues on global trade and development, human capacity building, artificial intelligence (AI) and data management.

The WTCA delegation comprised Messrs Singh, Kirton and Ryon Samaroo, WTCG’s Information Technology Specialist.

The issue of copyright recently returned to the fore when Guyanese singers, Jackie “Jackie Jaxx” Hanover and Ivan “D’Ivan” Harry last month filed a US$1.6 million lawsuit in a New York court against One Communications for alleged copyright infringement of their songs at the company’s rebranding from GTT without permission.

Guyana’s copyright legislation is the 1956 British Copyright Act.