Vol. 424 No. 2
103 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will amend the Copyright Act, 1963, in order to protect the interests of music users generally in the commercial field in Ireland from the difficulties being imposed on them by organisations (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Copyright Law in Ireland must, of course, comply with our international commitments in this area, notably the Berne Convention for the protection of literary and artistic works and the Rome Convention for the protection of performers, producers of phonograms and broadcasting organisations. Irish legislation will also have to give effect to a number of expected EC copyright measures; to the intellectual property provisions of the current GATT discussions; and to the copyright provisions of the European Economic Area Agreement.
To comply with all these obligations, amendment of the Copyright Act, 1963 will be required. My intention is to carry out a review of the Act which will incorporate the necessary amendments to comply with the obligations referred to and to implement any other changes considered useful or beneficial in the Irish context. My aim is to seek the correct balance between the protection of copyright owners and the users of copyright material.
